The Grand Canal Museum of Beijing

The Grand Canal Museum of Beijing
北京大运河博物馆

Address: No 5 building, 1 Lyuxin Street, Tongzhou district, Beijing
Opening hours: 10am-8pm (last entry 7pm)
Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)
General admission: Free

The Grand Canal Museum of Beijing is located in the northwestern part of the Green Heart area of Beijing's sub-center, spanning a total building area of around 99,700 square meters. It consists of a shared hall, an exhibition building (main building), and a leisure water street.

Drawing inspiration from elements of boats, sails, and water in ancient canal scenes, the museum is designed to integrate the history and culture of ancient canals into its architecture. The roof of the shared hall is shaped like a boat, while the roof of the exhibition building is in the shape of a sail. The leisure water street between the two buildings, combined with crossroads, awnings, and gatehouses on the facade of the exhibition building, creates a scene reminiscent of a canal wharf.

To ensure the safety of the museum’s artifacts, an 18,000-square-meter seismic isolation layer is installed beneath the basement level of the exhibition building, whose projected area is the largest among completed seismic isolation museums in China.

Since its opening on Dec 27, 2023, the museum has greeted visitors with one permanent exhibition Everlasting Benefits: A Historical and Cultural Exhibition of Beijing and the Grand Canal, which chronicles the grand history of the intertwined development of Beijing and the Grand Canal from prehistoric times to modern times. Additionally, there are seven special exhibitions and two open display areas, namely an earthquake prevention science exhibition and a stone carving garden.

The museum's collection includes artifacts related to the history and culture of the Grand Canal, the history and culture of Beijing, the city's development, and the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.