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    National Museum Of China

    865 Reviews
    #42 of 1,567 things to do in Beijing
    Museums, Specialty Museums
    Closed Now: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    No.16 East Chang'an Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China
    Open today: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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    Traveler Overview
    4.5865 reviews
    • Excellent51%
    • Very good33%
    • Average13%
    • Poor2%
    • Terrible1%
    Travelers talk about
    “chinese history”(60 reviews)
    “free entry”(23 reviews)
    “african art”(10 reviews)
    About
    This museum features changing exhibits related to political themes such as the Opium Wars, the founding of the Communist Party, the Sino-French and Sino-Japanese Wars, the Japanese War, the 1911 Revolution and the social unrest of 1989.
    Closed Now
    Hours Today: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
    See all hours
    Suggested duration: 2-3 hours
    As featured in Museum Guide for Beijing
    Contact
    No.16 East Chang'an Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China
    Website
    +86 10 6526 3355
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    Ways to Experience National Museum Of China
    5-Hour Small Group Tour to Tiananmen Square...
    29 Reviews
    from $69.00
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    Private All-Inclusive Day Tour: Tiananmen...
    91 Reviews
    from $74.80
    More Info
    Beijing Forbidden City Skip-the-Line and...
    from $88.00
    More Info
    Private Day Tour to Tiananmen Square...
    4 Reviews
    from $29.00
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    Most Helpful Positive Review
    Reviewed August 13, 2017
    world class museum. not to be missed. I have a few tips

    The National Museum Of China is a world-class, must stop museum on any tour of Beijing. Artifacts up to 12,000 years old that are in extraordinarily excellent condition. One-of-a-kind pottery and iron of exceptional craftsmanship. Many appear to never have been buried, looking like they...More

    7  Thank Carlos C
    Most Helpful Critical Review
    Reviewed December 10, 2013 via mobile
    A Few Issues

    I really wanted to visit this museum the last time I was in Beijing but it was closed for the multi-year renovation. So, I had great expectations for this visit. Although the museum is fresh, spacious and FREE it has some issues. But first the...More

    5  Thank Bondersan
    Reviews (865)
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    All reviews chinese history free entry african art security check tiananmen square pre history on display several floors great collection historical artifacts modern times recent history peking man communist party english translation impressive building terracotta warriors
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    1 - 10 of 513 reviews
    Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile
    Temporarily Closed

    I was at T square on Sunday October 14 and the museum is still closed. From the museum website: Dear Visitors: Due to the construction of the exhibition, the National Museum of China will be closed temporarily from September 25, 2018, and the reopening date...More

    Thank Arthur415
    Reviewed 4 weeks ago
    OK

    Was really looking forward to this museum... OK, but not fabulous. The Russian building is really interesting and impressive. By design (?) more than 25% of the available space is empty. Definitely gives a fly-on-a-plate and the-state-is-powerful feeling. Many of the items displayed are exquisitely...More

    1  Thank SchrodingerCat
    Reviewed September 29, 2018
    Not worth much time, but good if you have time and are in the area.

    The National Museum is free of charge. You will need to go through two security checkpoints prior to entering. This is a massive space. They do not have guides or maps to tell you what exhibits contain and where they are located. They list room...More

    1  Thank LibbyH1
    Reviewed September 13, 2018 via mobile
    You need a week to see this museum

    We visited only the ancient exhibit. I wish I had time to see more. A very large museum, one of the most visited in the world. Free. Camera friendly. Lots of security, you need your passport. The main sineahe is in Chinese and in English....More

    2  Thank AoifeCuRua
    Reviewed September 12, 2018
    It is OK.

    My review is particularly for travelers who cannot read Chinese. I visited the museum in mid September at around 10:30am. I went to the no-reservation line and there wasn't any line up at all. I practically just walked all the way to the security check...More

    2  Thank bwan
    Reviewed September 10, 2018
    Comprehensive Museum of Chinese History

    I went here twice on a recent visit to Beijing, both visits fairly brief. It is very easy to visit, free, camera friendly, and with great English. I used Google Translate for some of the larger titles without English. The first time was in the...More

    1  Thank powellgolfer
    Reviewed September 7, 2018
    4th floor is the highlight!

    The best permanent collection is on the 4th floor, which features all the diplomatic gifts that was received since Chairman Mao’s time. If you are traveling with seniors or children, you can take the elevator to the different floors. There are very spacious seating areas...More

    Thank Anabeebees
    Reviewed September 4, 2018
    Wast of time

    the museum has very few english translations which made it difficult for me as i dont know chinese . The exhibits were huge and wide but i couldnt understand most of them. The best thing it's free overall i wasted my time here.

    1  Thank Mohammed_Tarek_1987
    Reviewed September 2, 2018 via mobile
    Fantastic museum

    Great collection and impressive building. It’s huge so didn’t end up feeling crowded inside even though there were lots of people. Try to get there a little before 9am. There will still be a line to get in but it moved fast for us. You...More

    Thank BaltoBalto
    Reviewed September 2, 2018 via mobile
    Good Ancient China Exhibits

    Was expecting a comprehensive Chinese history lesson but it appears the key focus is mainly on ancient China. The other historical exhibits are curated at other museums. Nonetheless, the items excavated was pretty impressive. It dates back to pre-historic times to Three Kingdom times. There...More

    Thank BH255
    View more reviews
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    Questions & Answers
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    Ian G
    October 9, 2018|
    AnswerShow all 6 answers
    Response from lewish725 | Reviewed this property |
    Would recommend to go to the entrance on the right as it tends to be quicker. Easily accessible inside, lots of elevators and flat surfaces, wheelchairs are available.
    1
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    Stella S
    July 9, 2017|
    AnswerShow all 9 answers
    Response from TheOExpress | Reviewed this property |
    Yes, you can take as many pictures as you like in most exhibitions, provided the camera does not use a tripod or have flash on. There are some exhibits in which this is not allowed but these are quite clearly marked.
    2
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    robandlil
    September 18, 2016|
    AnswerShow all 7 answers
    Response from letsgotochina | Reviewed this property |
    I agree with the previous poster, FYL003. When I went there I was on my own. I picked up one of the museum maps and figured out what I wanted to see. The place is MASSIVE, so plan on spending several hours if you want to... More
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