Overseas Chinese History Museum of China

Overseas Chinese History Museum of China
中国华侨历史博物馆

Address: East end of Beixinqiao Santiao Alley, Dongcheng district, Beijing
Opening hours: 9 am-5 pm (last entry 4 pm)
Closed Mondays (further notice will be given in case of special circumstances)
General admission: Free but reservation required
Tel: (+86-10) 64093039; 64070943 (available from 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday)

The Overseas Chinese History Museum of China is a national specialized museum comprehensively showcasing the history and culture of overseas Chinese people, and is under the direct supervision of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. It currently houses nearly 60,000 artifacts.

The museum’s construction began in September 2011 and was completed in October 2014. Its main building is set in a traditional-style quadrangle courtyard (siheyuan) to blend seamlessly with the skyline of the surrounding neighborhood, which is a historic and cultural preservation block in downtown Beijing. The museum is about a 15-minute walk from Lama Temple (Yonghegong) and the Confucian Temple, and a 10-minute-walk reach from the restaurant street known as Ghost Street (Guijie).

Standing 18 meters tall, with three floors above ground and two below, the building covers an area of 12,802.58 square meters, consisting of four general exhibition halls, three temporary exhibition halls and an auditorium.

The permanent exhibition features the history and culture of overseas Chinese nationals, encompassing such themes as the history of Chinese migration overseas, the overseas lives of Chinese expatriates, their contributions abroad, their relationship with China's development, and Chinese overseas affairs. Over a thousand artifacts and photographs are on display.

The exhibition employs a variety of methods such as text and image integration, scene restoration, artistic creations, and multimedia displays to enhance the presentation of artifacts.