The Opium Wars Museum

The Opium Wars Museum
鸦片战争博物馆

Address: 113 Jiefang Road, Humen town, Dongguan city, Guangdong province
Hours: 8: 30-17:30 (Last admission at 17:00)
           Closed Mondays
           The Sea Battle Museum is closed on Tuesdays.
General admission: Free
Tel: (+86-769) 85512065

Covering an area of nearly 800,000 square meters, this museum is both a historical site and a memorial, built to pay homage to Lin Zexu (1785-1850) and the great fight against invaders during the Opium Wars - two conflicts between China's Qing Dynasty and Western powers in the mid-19th century. Its four branches are the Lin Zexu Memorial, the Sea Battle Museum, the site of Shajiao Fort and the site of Weiyuan Fort Complex.

Located in Zhenkou village, Humen town, the Lin Zexu Memorial is home to the opium destruction pools that are historical relics of 1839, as well as a permanent exhibition venue that explores the causes and processes of the opium destruction, drawing a grand picture of this epic historic event.

The Sea Battle Museum lies to the south of the town. Its permanent exhibition, The Opium Wars, provides an overarching perspective on the war through more than 1,860 cultural relics, 1,300 historical pictures, 120 paintings and a dozen digital items.

Initially built in 1800, Shajiao Fort is one of the best-preserved forts from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in China. It used be a strategic fortification safeguarding the estuary of the Pearl River, and is also surrounded by beautiful scenery.

The Weiyuan Fort Complex site features a complete coastal defense system and used to be famed as the “Great Marine Wall of the South China Sea”. It played a crucial role during the Opium Wars and the battles against foreign invasions which came afterwards.