The museum has three sections, a large exhibition hall, a local theme exhibition hall, and a temporary exhibition hall. The building is a modern structure built in 1983, but inspired by the architectural style of the Tang dynasty. The museum is well laid-out and a fascinating tribute to the impressive imperial history of Xi’an. 

Xi’an’s name during imperial times was Chang’an meaning eternal peace. Before China was united under the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty, the site of Xi’an was the seat of the western Zhou dynasty during the Bronze Age. The museum houses a collection of 370,000 objects and spans an area of 65,000sqm and is a short walk away from the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.