National Museum of China 中国国家博物馆

The National Museum of China stands on the east side of Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, and is the country's foremost institution for collecting, researching, displaying and interpreting the objects that embody Chinese culture. It presents itself as the nation's highest palace of history and art, and as a cultural parlour, a place where collective memory is kept, cultural identity is passed down and exchange between civilisations is encouraged.

Its roots reach back to 1912, when a preparatory office for a national history museum was set up. After the founding of New China, museums of Chinese history and of the Chinese revolution were built on the square's eastern flank. In 2003 the two were merged to form the National Museum of China, and in 2012 the remodelled building opened with close to 200,000 square metres of floor space and 48 standard galleries, making it the largest single-building modern comprehensive museum in the world.

The collection now numbers more than 1.43 million objects, ranging from oracle bones and bronzes to porcelain, jade, coins, Buddhist sculptures, paintings, textiles and revolutionary relics, and including nearly 6,000 first-class national treasures. Three permanent displays anchor the programme: Ancient China, The Road of Rejuvenation and its New Era section, supported by thematic galleries and a busy schedule of temporary exhibitions.

Don't miss

• Ancient China, a permanent walk through five thousand years
• The Road of Rejuvenation and its New Era section
• Thematic galleries for porcelain, jade, painting, coins, Buddhist sculpture
• Nearly 6,000 first-class relics within 1.43 million objects
• Forty-eight standard galleries under one vast roof

Visiting tips

Entry is by free reservation only, booked through the museum's official website up to seven days ahead; visitors register with a valid ID. Arrivals are grouped into set time slots, and repeated no-shows can lead to a temporary booking ban.