Beijing Cultural Exchange Museum, located in Zhihua Temple within Lumicang Hutong, was established in 1992 and serves as a window for cultural and museum information exchange. Constructed in the ninth year of the Zhengtong era (1444), Zhihua Temple is one of the more complete sets of Ming Dynasty wooden structures existing in Beijing. It is also a Buddhist sanctuary integrating statue carving, Buddhist scriptures, murals, and music.
The temple complex, facing north to south, consists of the mountain gate, bell tower, drum tower, Zhihua Gate, Zhihua Hall, Treasury Hall, and Dazhi Hall, forming the ‘Seven Halls of Jialan’. The main buildings are arranged along the central axis in the following order: mountain gate, Zhihua Gate, Zhihua Hall, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion, and Great Compassion Hall. The museum houses over 1500 collections, including a large-scale mural measuring 4. 8 meters in length and 3.1 meters in height, depicting the Dharma discourse of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, which is considered a fine example of Ming Dynasty murals. A ‘revolving bookcase’ is still preserved in the Treasury Hall, which is one of the oldest in Beijing. The museum displays exhibitions such as the Ming Dynasty Beijing Temple Exhibition, the Exhibition of the Sixteen Emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the Zhihua Temple Collection of Buddhist Scriptures, the Zhihua Temple Collection of Buddhist Statues, and the Historical Evolution of Zhihua Temple. In addition to physical exhibits, the Beijing Cultural Exchange Museum also showcases the first batch of China’s intangible cultural heritage – Beijing music. The museum is open year-round from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:00; closed all day on Mondays. The specific business status is subject to the daily opening conditions.
