The Panzhihua Museum covers the history and natural resources of the city and surrounding region. The natural history section addresses the geology of the titanium-vanadium iron ore deposits that led to the city's founding, and is genuinely interesting for anyone who wants to understand why this particular valley was industrialised so intensively. The ethnographic galleries cover the Yi, Lisu, and Miao minority cultures of the surrounding hills, with collections of traditional textiles, tools, and ceremonial objects.
The modern history section deals with the "Third Front" construction period of the 1960s and 1970s, when millions of workers were mobilised to build industrial facilities in Sichuan and Yunnan as a strategic reserve in case of war. Panzhihua was one of the largest Third Front projects, and the museum provides context for the industrial landscape that still dominates the city.