See & do · Museums
Capital Museum
Opening hours
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Sunday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Images provided by Google Places
Modern museum housing exhibits of ancient Chinese statues, porcelain, paintings & cultural relics.via Google
A modern, architecturally striking museum showcasing the local history, folk culture, and ancient bronze and jade collections of Beijing.
- Good to know
- A quieter, less crowded alternative to the National Museum, taking about two to three hours to explore.
Reviews from Google
This should be the first place to visit in Beijing. I loves how the flow of China histories display from floor1 to floor4. Followed by culture, tradition and opera displays. Entrance is free. For foreigner, remember to bring passport as it's the only requirement to scan during entry.
Very large museum you need to make a booking before going but just register with your passport . Download the QR and you can scan to enter. 4-5 floors of many exhibits. Start with the prehistoric times of Beijing to how it gradually developed through the ages. There’s also recreation of Beijing life and streets on the top floor. I went on a Sunday and there were also volunteers giving walks and talks. Good to listen to their introduction. I think it’s a great museum to bring kids. Not so big like the National China museum so it’s not too tiring and less crowded. Also sufficient lots of exhibits to see.
Perfect museum to learn about history of city. Entrance is for free. There were also audiovisual presentations so you will enjoy it. Little bit crowded but it was nice experience. Enjoy your visit.
After seeing fairly positive online reviews, I decided to visit and check it out for myself. Unfortunately, the experience was a bit disappointing. Although the place was not crowded, there didn’t seem to be any special exhibitions happening at the time, which made the visit feel quite underwhelming 😕. There wasn’t much on display that really caught my attention, so the overall experience felt limited. It might be more worthwhile to visit when a featured exhibition or special program is available.
The Capital Museum (Chinese: 首都博物馆) in Beijing, China, is a premier art museum. Established in 1981, the museum relocated to its current facility in 2006. This expansive building houses an impressive collection of ancient porcelain, bronze, calligraphy, painting, jade, sculpture, and Buddhist statues from imperial China and other Asian cultures. Initially, the museum's collection comprised 83,000 objects. Although it attracts fewer visitors than other prominent art institutions in Beijing, such as the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China, and the National Art Museum of China, it remains a leading cultural institution. Today, its collection boasts over 200,000 cultural relics. Only a small fraction is exhibited, with a significant percentage comprising artifacts unearthed in Beijing. The Capital Museum's striking architecture, led by Jean-Marie Duthilleul and Cui Kai, draws inspiration from ancient Chinese design. The stone exterior symbolizes the city walls and towers of ancient China. A danbi stone, embedded at the north entrance, features intricate carvings of dragons, phoenixes, and imperial artifacts. The reception hall showcases a decorative Ming Dynasty archway, highlighting the ancient architecture. The museum boasts proximity to subway and public transport, with complimentary admission for all. (Take the Line 1 subway from Tiananmen West station to Muxidi station (8 mins ride). A full day can be devoted to exploring the sophisticated art collections and artifacts on display. Regrettably, I was unable to complete my exploration of the museum few years ago due to other commitments; however, I intend to fulfill the tour at a future date.