Established in January 1979, the Museum of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture is a comprehensive chorography museum. It is a national second-class museum. It is also a group member of Chinese Museum Associations, Patriotic Education Base of Gansu Province, Museum of Representing History Program of Gansu Province, Executive directing unit of Gansu Museum Association, Liberal Arts Practice and Education Base of Cultural Relics and Museum major of Lanzhou University, Teaching and Practice Base of Northwest University for Nationalities. The new museum is located in the east of Linxia city, covering an area of 13,200 square meters and its building area covers 8687.2 square meters.

The museum focuses on research, restoration and clean，collection and storage, publicity and exhibition of cultural relics in Linxia Prefecture. It has 6 divisions: Archaeological Research division, Storage and Restoration division, Social Education division, Exhibition Design division, Security division and office. There are 55 staff members in the museum, 32 regular employees, 3 for public welfare position and 30 temporary employees. Among the regular employees, 26 are professionals (2 associate professors, 10 librarians, 14 assistant librarians).

4288 pieces of cultural relics are preserved in the museum and 1001 are pieces of valuable cultural relics (66 pieces of National First Level, 230 of National Second Level, 705 of National Third Level). They are mainly painted pottery from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age. Besides，there are stone , jade, bronze, china wares, fossils, paintings and calligraphy, carved tomb bricks and national cultural relics. Among them，painted pottery of Majiayao Culture represents the biggest achievement of Chinese painted pottery culture. The painted pottery of Majiayao Culture is the most abundant and of high quality. It is famous at home and abroad.

The museum has implemented the second and the third archaeological survey in Linxia since its establishment. Besides, it has conducted and excavated Bianjialin Site in Kangke County, restored and cleaned 30 ancient tombs represented by tomb of the Jin Dynasty（1115-1234）of Wangmingjia, Linxia. All above has accumulated abundant research materials for the museum. To publicize the history and culture of Linxia, the museum has successively held a series of exhibitions of cultural relics: Cultural Relics in Linxia, Painted Pottery of Linxia, Ancient Culture of Linxia, Ancient Animal Fossils in Linxia, Brick Carving of the Jin Dynasty, Painted Pottery Arts of Linxia and National Cultural Relics of Linxia and has published books such as Archaeology in Linxia, Cultural Relics in Linxia, Painted Pottery of Linxia and Gutaoshenyun（antique pottery）. And the million audiences home and abroad have visited the museum.

The permanent exhibition in the museum，with an area of 3034 square meters， presents 1253 pieces of cultural relics of Majiayao Culture. In sequence of Majiayao Pottery, Bianjialin Pottery, Banshan Pottery and Machang Pottery, the exhibition comprehensively and scientifically presents profound history and artistic charm of the Painted Pottery of Majiayao Culture and art creativity of ancient ancestors. It is a brief history of prehistoric society development and a vivid textbook of patriotism. The exhibition plays an important role in the same type of cultural exhibitions in China.