SHIJIAZHUANG, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The Shanhaiguan Museum of the Great Wall of China on Sunday opened to the public in the city of Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province.

A first-tier national museum, it covers 7 hectares and has a floor area of 30,000 square meters, featuring five permanent and three temporary exhibition halls.

Housing over 11,000 cultural artifacts, the museum is a modern, multifunctional hub integrating cultural conservation, exhibition, education, research, and leisure experiences.

Current exhibitions on historical artifacts, Shanhaiguan's role in the Great Wall, and ancient Chinese armor and weaponry are open to the public.

The museum is dedicated to safeguarding and sharing the heritage of the Great Wall, to advancing its global reach through cultural programs, and to academic cooperation and digital displays, said Guo Ying, deputy curator of the museum.

Meandering over mountain ridges across north China, the Great Wall was built during more than 2,000 years of continuous construction -- from the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-221 B.C.) to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The sections of the world wonder that exist today have a total length of over 21,000 km.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has required 15 provinces and municipalities along the Great Wall to formulate specific plans for the construction of a national Great Wall culture park, in accordance with local conditions.

As a key construction area of this future park, Hebei Province is prioritizing four sections of the Great Wall, including the Shanhaiguan Pass in Qinhuangdao. ■