First highland barley museum opens in China’s Tibet

The first highland barley museum in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region was opened recently in Shigatse city to display the farming culture associated with highland barley and related scientific research on the highland crop, cctv.com reported on Oct. 25.

(Photo/cctv.com)

Situated inside an ecological park in Shigatse, the 2,400-square-meter museum exhibits around 460 items, including pottery wares, farming tools made of stone, and the carbonized seeds of highland barley grain, among other items. The museum also popularizes knowledge about highland barley, such as its origin, highland barley species, where and how it is cultivated, and the hospitable geographical conditions of Shigatse for highland barley cultivation. It also includes an experience zone where visitors can learn to make highland barley products, as well as a shopping area where visitors can buy highland barley products and learn more about highland barley culture.

(Photo/cctv.com)

“After we arrived in Shigatse in 2019, we thought about contributing our efforts to extending the highland barley industrial chain and popularizing the highland barley culture and history. Then we invested 16 million yuan to help the city build the highland barley museum. We hope that through it more people can get to know, understand and spread the highland barley culture,” said Wang Peng, a cadre dispatched by Qingdao city in east China’s Shandong province to support the development of Shigatse.

(Photo/cctv.com)

“The museum is of great significance because it is the first museum themed on highland barley in Tibet. It lets more people know about Shigatse as the hometown of highland barley and learn more about the development history and culture of highland barley,” said Tenzin Drolma, deputy head of the publicity department and head of the culture and tourism bureau of Samdruptse district, Shigatse.

Highland barley is a principal crop in Tibet. Known as the hometown of highland barley, Shigatse accounts for 48 percent of total highland barley production in Tibet.

(Photo/cctv.com)