The National Museum of China is one that focuses on the incomparably rich history of China and the country’s unique forms of art. Dedicated to preserving these two elements, showcasing them to the world as well as educating generations to come, the museum has been in operations since 2003. For those of you who are wondering that’s not so long ago, it isn’t technically a young museum. It was formed by the merging of 2 museums that have been in existence in the same building since 1959.
The museum is formed by the union of The Museum of Chinese Revolution, founded in 1950 and the National Museum of Chinese History; this was initially part of the Beijing National Museum that was begun in 1949 as well and the National History Museum that dates back to 1912.
With over a million permanent items, this capsule of history covers almost 1.7million years of China’s impressive past, starting from the Yuanmou Man and spanning all the way to the last days of Qing Dynasty. Masterpieces include basin with fish pattern with a human piece that belongs to the Neolithic period. The jade dragon, another exquisite artefact is made from blue-green jade and I shaped like a C. Other pieces such as Zilong Cauldron, Dragon and tiger vessel, painted goose and fish lamp, gold and silver inlay cloud-patterned rhinoceros all showcase the high level of craftsmanship as well as inspiration taken from nature, especially animals.
Historical items exhibited also comprise of painting and calligraphy; an ancient art from that China is renowned for. The Southern Inspection Tour of Qianlong is a set of scrolls that records the visit of the Qing emperor to the province of Gaozong in 1751. Modern pieces such as wooden gavel used to announce China’s membership of the World Trade, Olympic Medal of XuHaifeng won in 1984 and the flag raised by Mao Zedong at the Proclamation of the People’s Republic of China are among the noteworthy modern pieces.
The museum’s location in Beijing makes it convenient to visit while staying in any hotel rooms in Beijing. There are also many Beijing airport hotel if you’re on a short visit. Langham Place Beijing Capital Airport is worth checking out.
Umanga Kahandawaarachchi is a passionate travel writer who writes under the pen name, Maggie Tulliver. Her field of writing covers a wide array of content and articles related to travel and hospitality industry.
