National Museum of China

Introduction
The National Museum of China (NMC) is located at the east side of Tiananmen Square, opposite the Great Hall of the People. It was founded in February 2003, based on the merging of two previous museums, namely the National Museum of Chinese History and the National Museum of Chinese Revolution. NMC, an integrated national museum under the Ministry of Culture of China, draws equally from both history and art and is dedicated to its collections, exhibitions, research, archeology, public education and cultural communication. Its basic functions are collections of cultural relics and artworks, exhibitions, public education, history and art research and cultural communication.

History & Background
The predecessor of the Museum of Chinese History was the Preparatory Office of the Museum of Chinese History, founded on July 9, 1912. 

Upon the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct 1st , 1949, the museum was renamed the Beijing Museum of History, only to be renamed once again as the National Museum of Chinese History in 1959. 

The predecessor of the Museum of Chinese Revolution was the Preparatory Office of the National Revolution Museum, which was founded in March, 1950 and was given its current name ten years later. 

In August 1959, with the completion of a new building on the east side of Tiananmen Square, and this housed both museums; It was acclaimed as one of the Ten Great Constructions built to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. On Oct 1st of that same year, the two museums opened to the public.

Development & Evolvement
From March, 2007 to December, 2010, NMC carried out a project to expand the museum so that it now covers 192,000 square meters. Today NMC is the largest museum in the world, with first class facilities and capabilities. With more than forty halls, we have exhibitions of Ancient China and The Road to Rejuvenation on regular display and more than a dozen categories of display related to special exhibitions and international exchange exhibitions. Not only has the museum amassed five thousand years of Chinese art and cultural heritage, the museum itself attests to the long road to revival and provides high-quality exhibitions which reflect the fruits of this world civilization.

Collections
The museum, covering Chinese history from the Yuanmou Man of 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty (the last imperial dynasty in Chinese history), has a permanent collection of 1,050,000 items, with many precious and rare artifacts not to be found in museums anywhere else in China or the rest of the world.

Among the most important items in the National Museum of China are the "Simuwu Ding" from the Shang Dynasty (the heaviest piece of ancient bronzeware in the world, at 832.84 kg), the square shaped Shang Dynasty bronze zun decorated with four sheep heads, a large and rare inscribed Western Zhou Dynasty bronze water pan, a gold-inlaid Qin Dynasty bronze tally in the shape of a tiger, Han Dynasty jade burial suits sewn with gold thread, and a comprehensive collection of Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed sancai and Song Dynasty ceramics.

Information
Admission Fee: CNY 30
Tel: 8610-6512 8901
Address: Tian'anmen Square (east side), Dongcheng district
How to get to National Museum of China: Subway Line 1, Tian'anmendong Station; Bus No l, 120 and 728 

Openning Hours:
8:30 -- 16:30 (Last Entry at 15:00) for March 1 - June 30
8:00 -- 18:00 (Last Entry at 17:00) for July 1 - August 31
8:30 -- 16:30 (Last Entry at 15:00) for September 1 - October 31
9:00 -- 16:00 (Last Entry at 15:00) for November 1 - February 29