Shandong Museum (山东博物馆)

The Shandong Museum stands on Jingshi Road in the Lixia District of Jinan, Shandong, China, and is the provincial museum for a region at the heart of Chinese civilisation. Its collections span Neolithic pottery from the Dawenkou and Longshan cultures, Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzes, Han dynasty stone carvings and tomb reliefs, Buddhist sculpture, calligraphy and painting, and ceramics. The building is a large modern complex, and permanent exhibitions are arranged chronologically, which makes it a helpful first stop for understanding Shandong's role as the home of Confucius and Mencius before visiting Qufu, Tai'an or Jinan's springs. Highlights include finely worked black pottery, ritual bronze vessels and stone reliefs depicting daily life and mythology. Visitors normally spend two to three hours. Entry is free, but visitors must reserve in advance through the museum's WeChat mini-program, and foreign visitors register with a passport. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00AM to 5:00PM, with last entry at 4:30PM, and it is closed on Mondays. Weekday mornings are the quietest time, while weekends and school holidays bring families and school groups. Photography without flash is generally permitted in the exhibition halls, though certain special exhibitions may restrict it. The museum is on Metro Line 3, at Shandong Museum Station, which makes it easy to reach from central Jinan. It suits rainy or very hot or cold days, since the halls are indoors and air-conditioned or heated.