Hubei Provincial Museum

The Hubei Provincial Museum is one of the four best museums in China and the main reason for any serious traveller to visit Wuhan. It sits on the western shore of East Lake in a substantial building shaped like a stylised Chu-dynasty palace, and houses the finds from the great tombs of Hubei — including the celebrated Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, opened in 1978.

The headline objects are the bianzhong (the 65-bell bronze chime, see story), the Sword of Goujian (a 2,500-year-old bronze sword found almost untarnished after centuries in a waterlogged tomb), and a remarkable collection of lacquered wood, jade, and gold from the Warring States period. Allow at least three hours; the museum is free but tickets must be booked online in advance through the official WeChat mini-program.

things to do museum wuchang
A story
The Bianzhong of Marquis Yi is a set of 65 bronze bells, the largest ever found in China, excavated from a 2,400-year-old tomb at Suizhou in 1978. The bells are still playable; the museum's resident orchestra performs short concerts on a replica several times a day, in part because the originals are now too fragile.