China National Museum is one of the most important spots for “red tourism”. It is located east of Tian'anmen Square. It can be reached by the No.1 subway line and many bus routes. It was based on the former Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture. It was officially founded on Feb. 28, 2003. It is a comprehensive museum that displays the long cultural history of the Chinese nation in a systematic way while laying stress on history and art.
The Museum of Chinese History dates back to the Office of Preparation for the Museum of Chinese History founded on July 9, 1912. On Oct. 1, 1949, it was renamed the Beijing History Museum, and came under the jurisdiction of Culture Ministry of the central government. In 1959, its name was changed to the Museum of Chinese History.
The Museum of the Chinese Revolution dates back to the Office of Preparation for the Museum of Chinese Revolution founded in March 1950. In 1960 it was officially named the Museum of the Chinese Revolution.
In August 1959, the buildings of the twin museums east of the Tian'anmen Square were completed. With a total floor space of over 65,000 square meters, they ranked among the ten landmarks of Beijing. They were opened to the public on Oct. 1 of that year, exactly ten years after the People's Republic was founded.
The multi-functional China National Museum is capable of collection, archaeological research, and display of cultural relics. It systematically collects valuable relics reflecting the past and present of China, and shows tourists from home and abroad the great history and splendid culture of the country in a comprehensive way by means of regular and special exhibitions. Over nearly fifty years, the museum has acquired a team of renowned experts and scholars and 610,000 items of historical/cultural relics. It provides high-tech protection for its collection. Three centers, respectively for field archaeology, underwater archaeology, and remote-sensing and aerial-photography-aided archaeology, have been created. Another center has been set up for international academic exchange between scholars and large museums. It is also an important provider of high-quality cultural entertainment for Beijing citizens and tourists from home and abroad.
At present, the museum's regular exhibits have two themes——the history of China and the Chinese revolution. The former, which centers on the general history of China, is embodied by 9,000 relics reflecting the history from theYuanmou Man that lived over 1.7 million years ago to 1911, when the last feudal dynasty fell. The exhibits fall into three categories——the primitive society, the slave society, and the feudal society. Accompanied by diagrams, models, and captions, they show major historical events, outstanding figures, and the contribution of all the ethnic groups to the history of China.
The second theme is embodied by exhibits reflecting the history of the Chinese revolution and the building of socialism in China. The former kind of exhibits, divided into 10 parts, consist of 4,500 real objects, books or writings, pictures, models, paintings, and sculptures. They are a lively embodiment of China's modern history and the nation's path to victory through brave opposition to imperialist invasions and feudalist oppressions under the leadership of the communist party.
From 2007 to 2009, the museum will be renovated and expanded. By the time that is completed, its current 65,000-square-meter floor space will have been expanded to 250,000 square meters; its equipment will have been further integrated and modernized. It will enjoy the prestige commensurable with the civilization of China as well as international renown, and live up to that prestige and renown in terms of collections, scale of exhibitions, hardware and staff.
Address: the east side of the Tian'anmen Square, Dongcheng District, Beijing |
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