New terminal in Xi'an airport houses museum, showcasing local culture

The highly-anticipated Terminal 5 at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, which opened on Thursday, boasts the world's first on-site museum within an airport, showcasing the historical features of the Silk Road and Xi'an, also known as Chang'an in ancient times.

Located within the Terminal 5, the museum covers an area of 6,400 square meters and features an architectural style of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The main exhibition hall of the basic exhibition is called the Square Pavilion, covering an area of 400 square meters. It will primarily showcase artifacts discovered during the airport's construction, supplemented by archaeological finds from the Hongduyuan area.

"The Square Pavilion is the name of a diplomatic office during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907). Adopting the name not only continues our connection to the ancient history, but also represents our theme of welcoming guests from near and far," said Chen Yao, head of the preparatory team of the museum at the Terminal 5.

In addition, the Hall of Treasures, an 88-square-meter exhibition hall, will display significant cultural relics from Shaanxi.

The Hall of Treasures adopts a rotating exhibition approach by selecting a representative Shaanxi's cultural relic for a special exhibition each period. The inaugural exhibition features the first-class national relic Qin Gong Bo, which has been transported to the Terminal 5 on Wednesday.

Qin Gong Bo is a type of bronze percussion instrument dating back to China's Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). "We rotate the exhibit roughly every six months. We will select some of the better and more outstanding cultural relics from within Shaanxi Province. Qin Gong Bo is both a ceremonial vessel and a musical instrument," Chen said.

The museum is expected to open to the public on Feb 26, allowing visitors to enter for tours by making online reservations.

New terminal in Xi'an airport houses museum, showcasing local culture

China's foreign exchange reserves stood at 3.3421 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of March 2026, down 85.7 billion dollars, or 2.5 percent, from the end of February, official data showed on Tuesday.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange noted that in March, the U.S. dollar index rose, while prices of major global financial assets declined, influenced by the global macroeconomic environment, monetary policies of major economies, and market expectations.

The combined effects of exchange rate conversion and changes in asset prices led to a decrease in China's foreign exchange reserves during the month, the administration said.

China's economy registered steady and improving performance during the period, with new and higher-quality development momentum. Its steady performance provided solid support for keeping the scale of the country's foreign exchange reserves basically stable, according to the administration.

China's foreign exchange reserves decline in March