National Museum of China

The National Museum of China (NMC) is located at the east side of Tiananmen Square, opposite the Great Hall of the People. It was founded in February 2003, based on the merging of two previous museums, namely the National Museum of Chinese History and the National Museum of Chinese Revolution. NMC, an integrated national museum under the Ministry of Culture of China, draws equally from both history and art and is dedicated to its collections, exhibitions, research, archeology, public education and cultural communication. Its basic functions are collections of cultural relics and artworks, exhibitions, public education, history and art research and cultural communication.

The predecessor of the Museum of Chinese History was the Preparatory Office of the Museum of Chinese History, founded on July 9, 1912. Upon the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct 1st , 1949, the museum was renamed the Beijing Museum of History, only to be renamed once again as the National Museum of Chinese History in 1959. The predecessor of the Museum of Chinese Revolution was the Preparatory Office of the National Revolution Museum, which was founded in March, 1950 and was given its current name ten years later. In August 1959, with the completion of a new building on the east side of Tiananmen Square, and this housed both museums; it was acclaimed as one of the Ten Great Constructions built to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. On Oct 1st of that same year, the two museums opened to the public.

We hold leading within China, first-class externally as our main objective, people foremost as a principle of development, honest to reality, close to life, friendly to the people as a value, and talent, collection, academics and services as the key points in running the museum. It is of great importance to preserve, inherit, display, and develop the magnificent Chinese culture. Meanwhile, as the most important cultural and art institution in China, NMC not only displays China’s outstanding civilization achievements, but also those of other parts of the world.

To support the public cultural service system and satisfy the learning needs of the community, we strive to promote the historical and cultural knowledge of the general public, in particular young people, while working to nurture civilization and facilitate life-long learning in the cultural sphere and in the classroom.

NMC plays an important role in displaying Chinese culture, cultivating national spirit; as such it is a world leader amongst museums in developing the field of cultural relics.

From March, 2007 to December, 2010, NMC carried out a project to expand the museum so that it now covers 192,000 square meters. Today NMC is the largest museum in the world, with first class facilities and capabilities. With more than forty halls, we have exhibitions of Ancient China and The Road to Rejuvenation on regular display and more than a dozen categories of display related to special exhibitions and international exchange exhibitions. Not only has the museum amassed five thousand years of Chinese art and cultural heritage, the museum itself attests to the long road to revival and provides high-quality exhibitions which reflect the fruits of this world civilization.

You can get a free ticket from the Ticket Office at the West Gate by showing your valid ID(passport).

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