Great Places to Go Near Beijing in January (Updated 2026)

National Museum of China

4.8/511262 reviews

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万邦风物[National Museum of China] I've visited the National Museum of China countless times over the past 20 years since its establishment; it's a must-see whenever I'm in Beijing. From its early days, when it was large and somewhat empty except for the "Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics Exhibition," the National Museum has gradually become richer and more diverse in its exhibits. Thanks to numerous thematic exhibitions and joint exhibitions, you can appreciate a rich variety of cultural relics from across China and even the world. Anything that enters a museum is a national treasure and a testament to history and culture. The National Museum of China houses the country's most prestigious collection of cultural relics. Different exhibitions are held at different times, making it worth seeing again and again. 🍎Highlights: The National Museum of China offers various exhibition areas, including permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, and themed exhibitions. You can choose flexibly according to your needs. The National Museum is so large that it would take one or two weeks to see everything. If time is limited, you can only choose the main exhibition halls you like based on your itinerary and visit them selectively. 🍊Highlights: The National Museum of China has different themed exhibitions at different times. For exhibition information, please check the National Museum of China website. Choose the exhibitions you wish to see and book your tickets in advance. 🍄Highlights and Features: The National Museum of China frequently hosts various domestic themed exhibitions, such as "Returning to the Wanli Reign of the Ming Dynasty," which brings together all the cultural relics from the Wanli period in one hall, offering a feast for the eyes. Those who enjoy exhibitions should regularly follow the National Museum's platform for exhibition information. 🍄Foreign Cultural Relics Exhibitions: The National Museum of China frequently collaborates with foreign institutions for loan exhibitions or special exhibitions. I once saw the Bulgari Jewelry Special Exhibition at the National Museum, featuring world-class large-diameter rock candy jewelry that shone brilliantly. I also saw Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker" from the Louvre Art Special Exhibition. This time, I specifically visited the Repin Painting Art Exhibition, a joint exhibition with the Russian National Museum, where you can see excellent works by great foreign artists without leaving the country—excellent value for money. 🍊Highly Recommended: The National Museum of China naturally boasts the richest collection of Chinese cultural relics. Therefore, several permanent exhibition halls are worth seeing. For example, the "Chinese Buddhist Culture Exhibition" on the 4th floor features the largest wooden Buddha head in China, standing at 2.5 meters tall. The National Museum of China has hundreds of Yongle blue-and-white porcelain jars, some of which sold for hundreds of millions of yuan, piled up on two walls during the "Ancient Chinese Porcelain Exhibition." The "Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics Exhibition" could easily take several days to fully appreciate. 🍒Special Note: The Wanli Empress's Nine Dragons and Nine Phoenix Crown, a highly sought-after item, has an identical replica displayed at the entrance of the Chinese Porcelain Gallery. You can take photos freely, but nobody cares. There's absolutely no need to queue for over an hour at the "Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics Exhibition" on the first floor just to take pictures. 🍒Reservation Note: Advance online reservations are required to visit the National Museum of China. Without a reservation, you cannot purchase a ticket for entry. If out-of-town visitors cannot secure tickets online, they can contact local travel agencies in Beijing to make reservations for them. Even one or two days in advance, local travel agencies have ways to secure tickets. 🍒Special Reminder on the Visiting Route: It is recommended to choose a ticket for the 11:00 AM time slot. This avoids getting up too early and allows you to spend the entire day visiting. After entering, take the elevator directly to the 4th floor. I went straight to the 4th floor to see the "Repin Oil Painting Exhibition." From there, I went down to the 4th floor via Route 1 to see various themed exhibitions, including Buddhist art, porcelain, and costumes. I had lunch upstairs. Around 2 or 3 pm, I went down to the basement level to see the "Ancient Chinese Artifacts Exhibition." By then, most people had already left, leaving the entrance empty. This avoided the hassle of queuing for one or two hours to get into the basement. 🍒Special complaint: Don't rent the National Museum's audio guide. The system is outdated and very inconvenient. The guide requires you to input your floor and hall number, but the National Museum is so vast that, unless you're a professional, you can't tell which floor, area, or hall you're in. Even after finally finding your hall on the guide, you have to scroll for ages to find the artifact in front of you. And when you finally find the audio description, the sound is just the Chinese description pasted on the artifact. For example: a celadon-glazed sunflower-shaped washer from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). A few dry, brief sentences. No provenance or historical record. It sounds utterly uninteresting. For Chinese people, why bother finding the specific floor and hall on the audio guide to locate the artifact? You'd have already read the written description long ago. There's no need to listen to the audio guide. 🍒Special Note: Whether it's paintings, calligraphy, or other ancient artifacts, they are all very fragile. Museums require constant temperature and humidity for preservation. Under these conditions, the daily temperature in each exhibition hall is quite low. In summer, wearing a skirt to an exhibition often results in freezing feet and ankles, feeling like standing on ice. Sometimes it's too cold to stand and you have to leave early. Therefore, women who are sensitive to the cold are advised to wear long jeans that cover their ankles when visiting the National Museum to prevent catching a chill.

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