Hanwei Luoyang City Site Museum

As the birthplace and the cultural center of Chinese civilization, the Hanwei Luoyang City is the largest and longest-used ancient capital site in China. As China’s first museum dedicated to the Hanwei Luoyang City site, Hanwei Luoyang City Site Museum uses ancient capital planning principles of building the capital as both the political and geographical center and stands as a key witness to the formation of a unified multi-ethnic state in ancient China, and to the long process of ethnic integration and unity. As a museum located at the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, it recreates vivid scenes of cultural exchange between Chinese civilization and other civilizations, highlighting its historical importance and global significance in connecting Eastern and Western cultures through the Silk Road.

The architectural design draws inspiration from traditional elements such as elevated platform buildings, axial symmetry, and three-layered city walls. It replaces elaborate decoration with clean lines to emphasize the grandeur of the heritage site, creating a continuous spatial narrative linking the city, the site, and the museum. The color scheme is based on rammed-earth yellow and deep grey derived from ancient city walls and roof tiles and is complemented by wood and bronze tones, with subtle accents of Chinese red to evoke a sense of historical atmosphere. The museum includes three permanent exhibition halls, a treasure hall, and an immersive digital hall. Through the use of digital sand tables, VR, naked-eye 3D technology, and AI knowledge graphs, it vividly presents the layouts of ancient capitals across different dynasties, the historical process of ethnic integration, and scenes of Silk Road exchange. The museum includes four independent circulation routes for visitors, research groups, VIP guests, and back-of-house staff and features multiple multifunctional spaces that allow flexible adaptation. In addition, it fully follows sustainable design principles, using 100% recyclable steel structures, aluminum panels, glass, and other exterior materials.