To the East of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, The National Museum of China is a hulking building which used to house The Museum of Chinese History and The Museum of The Revolution.

The building, like the Great Hall of The People on the opposite side of the Square, was one of ten buildings built in Beijing in 1959 in as part of the celebrations of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China.

The building was formerly occupied by the Museum of Chinese History and the Chinese Museum of the Revolution. These museums are to be merged to create the new National Museum of China. It seems likely that the content of these museums will constitute most of the content of the new museum, with the majority coming from the former Museum of Chinese History.

The Chinese Museum of History contained a huge collection covering Chinese history from prehistoric times until the fall of the Qing dynasty. The oldest exhibits included the teeth of the 1,700,000 year old Yuanmou man, found in Yunnan province, and artifacts from the Peking Man site. Later exhibitions include early polished stone tools, and some impressive bronzes and pottery.

Practical

Entry 30Y. Bag storage 1Y.

Open 8.30am-4pm.

Nearest subway station: Tiananmen Dong on Line 1. The museum is just to the East of Tiananmen Square.

The central location means that a taxi from anywhere in the city centre will cost less than 30Y.