The National Museum of China is the highest institution representing the state in collecting, researching, exhibiting, and interpreting representative artifacts that fully reflect the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation and the advanced socialist culture. It is the highest historical, cultural, and artistic palace and cultural salon in the country.
The museum currently has a collection of over 1.4 million pieces, covering ancient cultural relics, modern and contemporary cultural relics, rare books and ancient books, works of art, and more. Among them, there are 815,000 pieces (sets) of ancient cultural relics, 340,000 pieces (sets) of modern and contemporary cultural relics, more than 240,000 pieces (volumes) of rare books and ancient books, and nearly 6,000 pieces (sets) of first-class cultural relics.
In recent years, especially since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the National Museum of China has intensified the collection of artifacts that reflect the advanced culture of the contemporary era, openly soliciting cultural relics and artifacts from society. On average, about 50 sets of ancient cultural relics and more than 1,000 sets of modern and contemporary cultural relics, artifacts, and works of art are collected each year.
The exhibitions of the National Museum of China include three major series: basic exhibitions, thematic exhibitions, and temporary exhibitions, forming a three-dimensional exhibition system that covers themed exhibitions, basic exhibitions, thematic exhibitions, and temporary exhibitions. Among them, ‘Ancient China’, ‘The Road to Revival’, and ‘The New Era of the Road to Revival’ are the basic exhibitions of the National Museum, and they are also important positions for promoting traditional Chinese culture, advanced socialist culture, and cultivating and practicing socialist core values. Thematic exhibitions are mainly based on the museum’s collection, including more than ten thematic exhibitions such as ancient Chinese bronzes, Buddhist statues, jade, porcelain, modern classic art works, and African wood carvings. Temporary exhibitions include two major categories: independently planned exhibitions and exchanges, covering historical culture, fine cultural relics, archaeological discoveries, classic art works, regional culture, and international exchanges, with an average of more than 40 exhibitions held each year.
The National Museum of China has rich research resources, a solid research foundation, and strong research strength, and is the industry leader in the development of domestic museums. Since 2018, following the principle of ‘not seeking collection but seeking exhibition, open cooperation, and mutual benefit’, it has established strategic cooperative relations with many domestic and foreign cultural and museum institutions, universities, and research institutes. It has jointly carried out academic research, held fine cultural relic exhibitions, held seminars, launched post-doctoral scientific research workstations, and took the lead in establishing two international organizations: the BRICS Museum Alliance and the Silk Road Museum Alliance. It strives to play a greater role and make a greater contribution in promoting socialist core values, enhancing cultural confidence, promoting exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations, and building a strong socialist cultural country.
Opening hours:
From July 11 to August 31, Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:30;
From September 1 to December 31, Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:00;
The whole year, Monday, the whole day is not open;
New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, 09:00-17:00.
Service facilities:
Luggage storage:
Reference price:
Luggage bags less than 30 cm, each time the storage fee is 2 yuan;
Luggage bags between 30-60 cm, each time the storage fee is 5 yuan;
Luggage bags and items registered in the ‘Article Storage Registration Form’ with a size of more than 60 cm, each time the storage fee is 10 yuan;
Address: Front desk of the storage bag place;
1. The storage bag place inside the museum is a temporary storage place for the audience to store luggage bags, and tourists who do not come to visit the museum are not allowed to use it;
2. The audience’s trolley cases, suitcases, and all packages with a size greater than 40 cm must be stored, and the storage bag place provides a paid storage service;
3. Before the audience stores the bag, please consciously accept the security check, and do not store flammable, explosive, and corrosive chemical items and items that the state has explicitly prohibited, and items that have not passed the security check will not be stored;
4. The storage bag place does not store cash, jewelry
Checkroom Policies:
1. Responsibility for Damaged Items: The consequences of damage to the items are borne by the depositor themselves.
2. Storage Bag Card Care: The audience should take good care of the storage bag card and retrieve the stored items with the card.
3. Lost Checkroom Token: If the checkroom token is lost, immediate procedures for reporting the loss must be carried out (a fee of 20 yuan for the token will be charged).
4. Property Loss Due to Lost Token: Any property loss due to the loss of the token is the responsibility of the depositor.
5. Check-in and Check-out Procedures: All check-in and check-out procedures must be conducted at the front desk of the checkroom area, and entry into the checkroom is prohibited.
6. Item Retrieval Time: Stored items must be retrieved before 17:00 on the same day, and no check-out procedures will be handled after closing.
7. Additional Charges for Late Retrieval: For items not collected on the same day, an additional charge will be applied for every 8 hours exceeding the time limit according to the standard rate.
8. Deterioration or Natural Damage: Deterioration or natural damage to stored items is the responsibility of the owner. (In case of food items deteriorating during storage, staff have the right to dispose of them) Items not collected for more than a week will be considered abandoned, and staff will dispose of them.
Guided Tours: During the pandemic, manual guided tour services are suspended.
Audio Guide Rental:
– Reference Price: Not available
– Location: Rental desk
– Pandemic Suspension: During the pandemic, the rental service for audio guide devices is suspended.
Stroller Rental:
– Reference Price: Free of charge, requires valid identification and a deposit of 500 yuan
– Location: National Museum Service Desk (Located at the North Entrance)
Wheelchair Rental:
Reference Price: Free of charge, requires a deposit of 500 yuan
Location: National Museum Service Desk at the North Entrance
Valid Identification: Required
Restrooms: Men and women’s restrooms are available on each floor for visitors.
Nursing Rooms: Location: South side of the West Hall of the National Museum.
Catering: Catering services for visitors are set up in the National Museum dining space on the south and north sides of the west gate ramps, in the dining center on the B1 floor of the theater, and in the café of the of the Road to Revival exhibition. Warm reminder: To ensure the environment of the exhibition halls and the safety of the cultural relics, no drinks or food are allowed to be consumed inside the exhibition halls.
Souvenir Shops: Cultural and creative product sales area: North side outside the west gate, east side of the first floor, north and south sides of the third floor, and the end hall of Ancient China.
Vending Machines: More than ten vending machines for cold and hot drinks and various simple meals such as hamburgers and microwaved boxed meals are set up on each floor of the museum to meet the different needs of visitors. Warm reminder: To ensure the environment of the exhibition halls and the safety of the cultural relics, no drinks or food are allowed to be consumed inside the exhibition halls.
