The museum covers an area of 91,126 square meters, with a length of 201 meters (north-south), a width of 75 meters, and a height of 50 meters. It consists of six above-ground floors and two underground floors, featuring seven exhibition halls and one multifunctional hall.
Located on the northward extension of Beijing’s central axis, the museum is adjacent to the dragon-shaped water system of the Olympic Park to the west, the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition Hall to the east, the ‘Bird’s Nest’ and ‘Water Cube’ to the south, and the China Science and Technology Museum to the north. The address is No. 16, Lakeview East Road. The architectural design concept draws inspiration from the scale and proportion of the Taihe Hall in the Forbidden City, with symmetrical structures both horizontally and vertically. The facade is divided into three sections: a stone base, a transparent platform layer, and a suspended multi-treasure pavilion, symbolizing the harmonious balance of heaven, earth, and humanity in Chinese traditional culture, known as the ‘Three Talents’ concept. The exterior brown copper-colored metal grille structure is refined from traditional architectural patterns of flower windows and antique shelves, organically integrating traditional design elements with modern architectural frameworks, giving the building a solemn and upright aesthetic while also being dynamic and transparent. The museum’s collection covers a wide range of arts and crafts categories, mainly including jade carving, stone carving, bamboo, wood carving, ivory and bone carving, weaving and dyeing, ceramics, lacquerware and lacquer art, metal crafts, glass, Thangka, and ethnic folk (comprehensive) art, with a focus on works created after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Among them, 1,895 sets are considered treasures of arts and crafts. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00 all year round; closed all day on Mondays; and open from 09:00 to 17:00 on New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day.
