Anthropology museum at YNU preserves ethnic heritage

Nestled within the Donglu Campus of Yunnan University (YNU), the Wu Mayao Anthropology Museum preserves more than 4,000 ethnic cultural relics and academic archives.

Founded in 2003 and opened to the public on April 10, 2006, the museum is affiliated with the university's School of Ethnology and Sociology. It features two permanent exhibitions – a century-long history of ethnology studies at YNU and a cultural exhibition on the Ancient Tea Horse Road.

The museum also regularly hosts temporary themed exhibitions, academic lectures, and workshops.

Among its treasured collections is a cinnabar rubbing from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Created using the traditional cinnabar rubbing technique, the artwork transfers every detail of the qilin – a benevolent Chinese mythical creature – from flowing lines to intricate scales onto paper using vivid crimson pigment.

The museum is also home to a visual anthropology research center, which houses nearly 1,000 documentaries, including international classics, early Chinese ethnological films, recordings of folk artists, and interviews with anthropologists.

The museum is open from 8:30 am to 11:30 am and from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Reservations can be made by calling +86-0871-65031297.