National Museum of China

Hours & Admission Price Peak Season
Jan.-Dec.
9:00-17:00
Free Low Season
Jan.-Dec.
9:00-17:00
Free Address & Phone east of Tiananmen Square and south of East Chang'an Street. Transportation Take Subway Line 1  to Tiananmen East, the museum is to the south. Take Subway Line 2 to Qianmen, the museum is to the north. Take bus NO.1, 2, 4, 10,&nbs; Notes only 3,000 visitors permitted every day and closed on Monday

One of the largest museums in the world, National Museum of China is a comprehensive museum educate arts and history of China through the combination of exhibition, collection and research.

Situated east of Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, the National Museum of China is built on the sites of the former Museum of Chinese History and Museum of Chinese Revolution by merging the two into one. As the largest museum in China, it displays Chinese culture and history comprehensively through its collection of more than one million objects as well as various lectures. The museum is under the administration of the China’s Ministry of Culture.

With a total exhibition area of 65,000 square kilometers, National Museum of China is composed of 48 exhibition halls ranging from 800 to 2000 square kilometers. Besides the Ancient China and The Road to Rejuvenation exhibitions on regular display, the museum also has a dozen categories of exhibitions dedicated to special subjects and international exchange.

Collections

The museum displays Chinese history and culture through a large number of collections ranging from the Yuanmou Man of 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty (the last imperial dynasty, 1644-1912). It has a permanent collection of 1,050,000 items and many of them are precious ones which appear in the teaching bookings of Chinese Students. Among the collections, many masterpieces are peculiar to the museum only which can not be found in museums anywhere else in China or the rest of the world.

Basin with a fish pattern with a human face, excavated in 1955 from Banpo in Xian, is a treasure of the Neolithic (5000-4000 BC). The Jar showing a stork with a fish and a stone axe belongs to the Yangshao Neolithic Culture (5000-3000 BC). The Jade dragon resembling a C-shape is made of bluish-green jade and dates back to Hongshan Neolithic Culture (6000-5000 BC). Simuwu Ding, a rectangular vessel with a protruding rim, thick square lip and two large upright arched handles, is said to belong to late Shang Dynasty (1300–1046 BC). The Tomb figurine of a storyteller made in reddish clay is an Eastern Han (25-220) item.

In addition, the Polychrome glazed tomb figurine of a troupe of musicians on a camel dating back to Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Qing Dynasty painting scrolls Southern Inspection Tour of Qianlong are also precious rare artifacts. The collections also include bronzes, pottery, porcelain, jade, gold and silver, painting and calligraphy, currency, pictorial bricks and many others like ancient furniture, books, shadow puppet and even old photography.

Exhibition Halls

National Museum of China has three floors above ground and an underground one. The underground floor is composed of permanent exhibition Ancient China, public service areas, Broadcasting Room and Theatre and Lecture Hall. Access to the museum is also located at this floor.

The first floor has North Galleries (N1 to N4), VIP room, South Galleries (S1 to S5), the permanent exhibition The Road of Rejuvenation, public service areas and Central Hall. The second floor also has public services areas, the permanent exhibition The Road of Rejuvenation, North Galleries (N8 to N11) and South Galleries (S6 to S10).

North Galleries (N16 to N19), South Galleries (S11 to S14) and Central Hall 2 are on the third floor. Ancient Chinese Money, Bronze Art, Jade, Classical Paintings and Buddhist Sculpture are on exhibition on this floor.

How to Get to the National Museum of China

Take Subway Line 1 and get off at Tiananmen East Station or take line 2 and get off at Qianmen Station.
Take Bus No. 1, 2, 10, 20, 37, 52, 59, 82, 99, 120, 126, 203 (night), 205 (night), 210 (night), 728, Special 1, Special 2 and get off at Tiananmen East stop.
Take Bus No. 5, 17, 20, 22, 48, 59, 66, 69, 71, 82, 120, 126, 301, 626, 646, 690, 692, 729 and get off at Qianmen Stop.

Beijing Culture