Chinese Archaeological Museum

Museums in Beijing are like bright pearls, embedded in every corner of this ancient capital city, because of its long and storied history. They not only tell historical stories but witness the development of history. Visit these museums and experience the profound history and culture of Beijing.

The Chinese Archaeological Museum is a professional archaeological museum at the national level, established by the Chinese Academy of History. It boasts a collection of over 6,000 objects, unearthed by archaeologists in the fieldwork. The theme of the initial display is Historic China, Dingzhu Civilisation (the Bronze Age of China). It includes five special topics, namely Origins of Civilisation, Zhaizi China, Unification of the Great Nation, Harmonious Integration, and National Awakening respectively, showcasing the cultural relics and documents from the Paleolithic period to modern times.

Some objects in the exhibition halls of the Chinese Archaeological Museum are displayed in small storage units. Artefacts are densely arranged according to the archaeological sites and remains from which they are unearthed, with illustrations on the side. This unique, storage style of displaying the artefacts becomes a museum feature.

The museum also features the Immersive Experience. It employs various techniques, such as video presentations, multimedia interactions, simulation scenarios, OLED transparent screens, and naked-eye 3D displays, to restore the historical scenarios, allowing the visitors to travel between different spaces and times.

The first gallery you walk in is the Origins of Civilization. The entire corridor of the Stone Age section resembles a rock cavern, with rough rocks on both sides and stars on the ceiling, set in the night in the countryside of primitive times. There are figures of homo sapiens projected on the wall, depicting the morphological changes of homo sapiens from the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period for the visitors. Meanwhile, the simulation of rice and millet fields in the section of the Origins of Agriculture takes the visitors to the agricultural fields. The visitors can, thus, experience the development and progress of China's civilisation in agriculture. Following on, the visitors can experience the evolution of the oracle bone script by watching videos and the Shang's divination in the next section, the Oracle Bones.  It is followed by admiring a replicated historical site of Taosi in Xiangfen, Shanxi, from a bird's-eye view.

Additionally, there are numerous interactive facilities in the museum. For example, the visitors can browse the memorials of the Yongzheng Emperor by simply flicking their fingers, playing their favourite tune on a Bianzhong, collecting stamps at the cultural and creative shops, and posting a vintage-style letter from the Lantai Post Office. These facilities allow the visitors to engage and experience historical marks while exploring the museum.

Address: Nanmen (the South Gate), Building No.1, Courtyard No.1, Guojia Tiyuchang Beilu (National Stadium Rd North), Chaoyang District, Beijing

National Museum of Classic Books

The National Museum of Classic Books is a national-level museum, aiming to exhibit ancient Chinese books and propagate Chinese culture. Its extensive collection is from the National Library of China. It is a comprehensive museum that not only collects, exhibits, studies, and protects classic books, but with the purpose of public education, cultural inheritance, and cultural recreation.

Located at the south wing of the National Library of China, Zhongguancun Nandajie (St), Haidian District, Beijing, the National Museum of Classic Books covers 11549 square metres. The ten galleries in the museum provide visitors with more spacious exhibition space, better leisure centres, and better museum experiences.

The exhibition Zhenguan-Li Shimin's Saga of Prosperous Era is currently open to the public in Galleries Three and Four of the National Museum of Classic Books. It is the first large-scale cultural relics exhibition that offers insight into the Zhenguan era in Beijing. Based on Li Shimin's life path, the exhibition demonstrates his outstanding talent and far-sighted vision for the future and shows realisations of the true side of human nature. Moreover, the exhibition aims to lead the visitors to look back at history, feel the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, and experience the inner spirit of the Chinese nation in terms of the integration of multi-ethnic groups, the openness and the inclusivity, and constantly striving to become stronger. The exhibition will last until 25th August 2024.

Address: 33 Zhongguancun Nandajie (St), Haidian District, Beijing

Capital Museum

The Capital Museum had been in preparation since 1953 and was formally opened to the public in 1981. It was initially located at the Kong Miao (Temple of Confucius) in Beijing, a cultural heritage site under national-level protection. The new Capital Museum opened to the public in May 2006. It covers 63800 square metres, five floors above ground and two floors underground. The building has a unique shape, representing the concept in terms of the harmonious integration of the past and the future, modern and history, and art and nature.

The permanent exhibition, Eternal Witness of Civilisation: History of Beijing (only Units One to Eight are currently available), was refreshingly presented in the Square Hall on 10th February 2024.

The initial exhibits of the exhibition are the cultural relics collected by the Capital Museum over the years and newly unearthed in Beijing. The exhibition also adopted the latest research findings in Beijing's history, cultural relics, archaeology, and other relevant subjects and useful experiences from domestic and international museums. It emphasises and highlights the important historical moments in the urban development of Beijing. It intends to tell the history of Beijing in a way that can be understood by the general audience and is fascinating to the experts. The content of the exhibition is also enriched with the new archaeological findings in Beijing and the latest research findings in Beijing's history.

Address: 16, Fuxingmenwai Dajie (St), Xicheng District, Beijing

Beijing Liao and Jin City Wall Museum (Jinzhongdu Shuiguan Relic Site)

The Beijing Liao and Jin City Wall Museum (Jinzhongdu Shuiguan Relic Site) is a specialised archaeological museum, comprising underground ruins and historical exhibits. The museum covers 2,500 square metres and is built over the ruins of the watergate of the southern wall of Zhongdu, the capital of the Great Jin Empire, which dates back 840 years. The underground ruins of the Liao and Jin city walls are the only architectural relics of Zhongdu, despite other Jin Dynasty city walls currently in Beijing. The underground ruins are now the largest watergate ruins of ancient cities in China. It is also an important example of the research in ancient China's architecture and irrigation works.

The main exhibition the Historical of Jinzhongdu, showcases hundreds of cultural relics of all historical periods. There are nearly 20 precious cultural relics of the Liao and Jin period in the Liao and Jin Stone Carving exhibition hall, including the Qidan (Khitan) epitaphs of Liao, the stone tiger of Jin, and the stone statues of civilian officials and military commanders.

Address: Jia 40, Yuling Community, Youanmenwai, Fengtai District, Beijing