The National Museum of China

Image from the official website of the National Museum of China. 

The National Museum of China, a four-storied main building with two symmetrical wings, runs more than 300 meters north and south along the eastern side of Tian'anmen Square. The predecessors of the National Museum were two museums: the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution, which shared the same building complex.

History

The predecessor of the Museum of Chinese History was the Beijing History Museum, which was built in 1912 and opened to the public in October 1926. In August 1958, the Chinese government decided to establish a new national museum on the eastern side of Tian'anmen Square. The construction was completed in October 1959.

The Museum of Chinese History displays three main periods of Chinese history. The first, the Primitive Society, spans from 500,000 BC to 4,000 BC. The exhibits in the Slavery Society section cover the time from 2,100 BC to 475 BC and the Feudal Society exhibits focus on the period from 221 BC to 1911.

Collection

Many of the items on display are national treasures and precious rarities. Examples include the famous fossil remains of Yuanmo Man and Beijing Man, the remarkable painted pottery and jade wares of the Neolithic Age, the Simuwu Rectangle Ding (a kind of vessel) of the Shang Dynasty (cast over 3, 000 years ago and weighing 832.84 kg (the heaviest ancient bronze ware in the world), the Shang Dynasty square bronze Zun (wine vessel) decorated with four sheep heads and the large inscribed Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC) bronze Pan (water container). Other exhibits include a gold-inlaid bronze tally in the shape of a tiger (this was used by Emperor Qinshihuang for military affairs), a Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) jade burial suit sewn with gold thread, magnificent Tri-colored Glazed Pottery of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), world-renowned Song Dynasty (960-1279) ceramics, and a rare bronze human figure marked with acupuncture points. Such treasures as these depict the rich and disparate evolution of Chinese civilization.

Since 1992, about 100 short-term exhibitions have been held in the National Museum of Chinese History. Exhibitors have included both international and domestic organizations, as well as private individuals.

Address: East side of Tian’anmen Square,16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Open hours: 9:00 -- 17:00 (No admission after 16:30)

Closed on Mondays (including statutory national holidays)

E-mail: info@chnmuseum.cn

Admission: Free (Some special themed exhibitions need tickets)