UNESCO 2023 Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation: Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts goes to Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital

Location: Luoyang, China

The ambitious Erlitou Site Museum has elegantly tackled the daunting conservation and interpretive challenges implied in designing an archaeological site museum at an expansive heritage site without visible in-situ structural remains or any distinctive above-ground feature. Through a well-considered understanding of the formidable conservation imperatives of a buried archaeological site, the museum is situated a short 500 meters southwest of the excavated remains of the former capital of China’s Xia dynasty. Inspired by important archaeological discoveries including the earliest bronze workshop in China, and many earth-built palaces found on site, the museum was constructed using age-old building materials such as rammed earth, and was adorned with bright copper and bronze fittings. In addition, the spatial display of artefacts embedded within the walls of the museum attempts to provide a true immersive and educational experience for visitors. The Erlitou Site Museum sets a benchmark for integrating museological functions into the overall archaeological site preservation plan through an interplay of creative concepts that enhances the holistic comprehension of the site’s significance, while contributing to a paradigm for rural development in surrounding village settlements.