Set in the imposing building on the east side of Tian’anmen Square, you might not find the National Museum of China very appealing at first glance. But step inside and you’ll be greeted by the amazing spectacle of not only the building itself but the objects it contains: priceless relics representing many thousands of years of history. The museum hosts lots of exhibitions year-round, some permanent, some temporary. One of the most popular is the ‘Ancient China’ exhibit, a look at some of the most famous finds ever made in Chinese archaeology. Read on to find out more about our visit and what we thought!
Getting there
Book tickets for the museum through their WeChat mini-program (中国国家博物馆) or online (go here for links to both; Chinese only). Book well in advance as it’s a very popular tourist destination, but the exhibition itself is permanent so don’t worry about missing it! Since the museum is located at Tian’anmen Square there is no access apart from on foot, so we suggest walking from a nearby area like Wangfujing or taking the subway (Tian’anmen East exit C). You’ll need your passport to exit the subway station and again to enter the museum. The exhibition gets very crowded so we suggest going early in the day.
The exhibition
The exhibition is clearly signed once you enter the museum. It’s arranged chronologically in eight parts and includes more than 2000 incredible items, which can feel overwhelming at times, especially with the crowds of people. Given the length and richness of Chinese history we can’t really see how they could have slimmed this exhibition down though! We allowed 3 hours for our visit, but even that wasn’t enough to see and appreciate the significance of all the items. Each exhibit has a basic English description and provenance with it, and a QR code to scan for more information (in Chinese but if you scan with WeChat you can translate it). There’s also an 2-hour English audio guide available through the mini-program.
We went to the exhibition with Jennifer Pan, who offers English guided tours of the exhibition that focus on selected items. Not only did she take the hassle out of booking the tickets, but she gave a lot of interesting information about some of the items that we wouldn’t have known through just scanning the QR code or listening to the museum’s audio guide. For example, if you’re tall enough to see inside the eagle pot (the first photo in this article) you’ll see a pair of white gloves inside left by the curators right before it was encased in glass! Just goes to show – everyone makes mistakes! But we would never have noticed this fun detail if Jenny hadn’t pointed it out.
If you’re someone who gets overwhelmed and bored by museums easily, then we definitely recommend one of Jenny’s tours. If you like to go at your own pace and want to see more of the items in the exhibition then we recommend going by yourself.
Final thoughts
This exhibition is a must-see for anyone interested in Chinese history, as it contains the highlights from archaeological excavations – mainly of tombs – around the country and gives a broad overview of Chinese history from the standpoint of stone, bronze and ceramic objects. There are very few paper or silk historical documents or paintings, even in the later periods. Also, the exhibition mainly focuses on the ‘big finds’ from the tombs of the elite, rather than the smaller items used by ordinary people. So it’s important to keep in mind that the vast majority of Chinese people throughout history would never have interacted with objects like the ones presented here. With all that said, this exhibition is an enthralling look at the incredible skills and rich spiritual life of the ancient Chinese, and we highly recommend visiting.
Have you visited this exhibition? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear your thoughts and insights!
Photo Credits
– Cultural Keys
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Cultural Keys helps you access, understand and enjoy life in China through traditional Chinese culture. Click here to read more about Cultural Keys and what we can do for you, your school, company or group to help you get more out of your time in China!