Ili Prefecture Museum
Displays the civilizations of the Ili River Valley from prehistoric times to the modern era: gold artifacts unearthed from ancient Wusun tombs and grassland stone figures attest to the epic of the "ancient land of the Wusun", microliths and Bronze Age remains sketch early herding and hunting life, and the Kazakh folk-culture hall (yurts, dombra, horseback sports) vividly presents nomadic culture, ...
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 10:00-18:00 (closed Mondays)
- Ticket
- Free (reservation required)
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Displays the civilizations of the Ili River Valley from prehistoric times to the modern era: gold artifacts unearthed from ancient Wusun tombs and grassland stone figures attest to the epic of the "ancient land of the Wusun", microliths and Bronze Age remains sketch early herding and hunting life, and the Kazakh folk-culture hall (yurts, dombra, horseback sports) vividly presents nomadic culture; it is the first stop for understanding the essence of Ili, the "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall".
Getting there: downtown Yining
Photos
More in Yining & Khorgas
- Kazanqi Folk Custom Tourism Area
A Uyghur and Uzbek quarter of Yining's old town, named after its blacksmith workshops ("Kazanqi" means pot casters), with stretches of blue walls, wooden doors and colorful courtyards; visitors call it "the Morocco of China"
- Liuxing Street (Six-Star Street)
A hexagonal, radial street district laid out to a German designer's plan in the 1930s, with six streets radiating from the central square in six directions; multiple ethnic groups have lived side by side here for nearly a century
- Ili River Bridge · Swan Spring
The mother river of the Ili Valley: the Ili River Bridge south of Yining is the No.1 sunset photo spot of this "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall" — at dusk the bridge's silhouette and golden ripples on the river share one frame
- Lin Zexu Memorial Hall
An exhibition hall commemorating Lin Zexu's historical legacy during his exile in Ili, showcasing his contributions to water conservancy (the Aqiwusu Canal), reclaiming wasteland for garrison farming, and surveying the frontier
- Han Princesses Memorial Hall
Commemorates the marriage-alliance history of Western Han princesses Xijun and Jieyou, who married the Kunmo (king) of the Wusun far away: the two Han princesses lived in the Ili River valley for decades, helping forge a Han–Wusun alliance to fight the Xiongnu together
- Huiyuan Ancient City
Military and political center of Xinjiang under the Qing dynasty: in 1762 the Qing government appointed the Ili General as Xinjiang's highest military and civil authority, who was stationed here and built the city — known in history as the 'First Prefecture of the Western Regions'