Beijing is China's cultural and artistic center. It is said that there are more than 300 museums (academies) and art galleries of various sizes in Beijing.

We have visited more than 30 museums and art galleries. There are government-run, large-scale museums, such as the Palace Museum, National Museum, Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, National Art Museum of China, Beijing Natural History Museum, Beijing Planetarium, Capital Museum, China Film Museum, China Ancient Zoological Museum, China Garden Museum, Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum, Beijing Folk Museum, China Century Art Museum, National Classics Museum, etc. These museums require special time to visit.

There are smaller museums mixed with the scenic spots, such as Gong Wangfu Museum, Confucian Temple and Imperial Academy Museum, Zhengyang Gate, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, Xiangshan Shuangqing Villa, Yuanmingyuan Exhibition Hall, Yonghe Temple Tibetan Buddhist Art Museum, Bell and Drum Tower (Beijing Bell and Drum Tower Cultural Relics Preservation House), Temple of Successive Emperors, Beijing Honglou Culture and Art Museum, Juyongguan Great Wall Museum, Memorial Hall of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Dongsi Hutong Museum, Tianqiao Museum, etc. When visiting these museums, I visit the scenic areas.

There are outstanding private museums, such as Guanfu Museum, Poly Art Museum, Red Brick Art Museum, Luo Hong Photography Art Museum, Vivigno Fragrant Art Museum, Qiaofu Contemporary Art Museum, etc.

China's museums have a grading system, with the grades being first, second and third levels from high to low. At present, all museums in Beijing need to make reservations one day in advance, and tourists without reservations cannot enter the site.

Friendly reminder: Use WeChat to download the "Beijing Local Treasure APP", which contains introductions to museums and parks in Beijing, reservation entrance for ticket purchase, tour guides, voice explanations and other content. It is very convenient.

According to our liking, we introduce the 10 most worth visiting museums and art museums in Beijing: Palace Museum, National Museum, Military Museum, China Art Museum, Beijing Natural History Museum, Beijing Planetarium, Capital Museum, China Film Museum, Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum, Guanfu Museum. Among them, it is recommended to visit the first six.

Palace Museum (first-class museum)

The Palace Museum is the largest museum in China and is also known as the first of the five largest palaces in the world (the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Palace of Versailles in France, the Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, the White House in the United States, and the Kremlin in Russia). It is a world cultural heritage.

The Forbidden City was built in the 18th year of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1420). It has a history of 600 years. It was once a royal palace in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was formerly called the Forbidden City, and 24 emperors lived there.

View from the Meridian Gate.

Video overlooking the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City is the essence of ancient Chinese court architecture and one of the largest and most completely preserved ancient wooden buildings in the world.

Tourists enter the Forbidden City to visit, first, to see the palace architecture; second, to see the former dynasty (outer dynasty) of emperors and ministers; third, to see the back bedroom (inner court) of the life of the empress and his concubines; fourth, to see the collection and exhibition of cultural relics in the Forbidden City; and fifth, to buy some cultural and creative works exclusive to the Forbidden City.

The previous dynasties mainly looked at the three halls of Taihe, Zhonghe and Baohe.

In the two wings of the three halls, there are also Wenhua and Wuying halls.

The famous "Military Aircraft Office" located next to the Qianqing Gate is pitifully small, just a row of small bungalows. This is the relationship between the emperor and his courtiers.

The back bedroom mainly looks at the three palaces of Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Hall, and Kunning Palace. The folk saying "Three Palaces and Six Courts" refers to these three palaces.

The three great palaces of the Later Bedrooms were the places where the emperor handled daily government affairs and lived and lived with the queen. The "Kunning Palace" where the queen lived was huge and had great power.

The two wings of the three palaces are the palaces where the empresses and concubines live, including the Sixth East Palace and the Sixth West Palace. These palaces are much smaller, and are vastly different from the Palace of Kunning. For example, the "Chengqian Palace" next to the Palace of Kunning is a small Sihe Courtyard. No wonder the battle between the queen and her concubines was fierce, and everyone wanted to move into a big house.

With the popularity of palace fighting dramas, some palaces in the East Sixth Palace and West Sixth Palace have also become Internet celebrity palaces. For example,"Yanxi Palace" has become a popular check-in place.

The Forbidden City has permanent cultural relics exhibition halls, such as Treasure Hall, Theater Hall, Stone Drum Hall, Clock Hall, Painting and Calligraphy Hall, Ceramics Hall, Sculpture Hall, Ancient Architecture Hall, Bronze Hall, Weapon Hall, Furniture Hall, etc.

Temporary exhibitions such as "Danchen Yonggu-Exhibition on Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City" will be held in the Forbidden City's Wumen Gate, Zhai Palace, Yongshou Palace, Shenwu Gate, and Jingren Palace from time to time, and exhibitions will also be held jointly with foreign museums from time to time.

Video of the 60th anniversary of the Forbidden City's construction.

The Forbidden City is very large. It is said that there are 9999 and a half rooms in palaces. It is called the "Sea of Districts". The time to visit the Forbidden City can be long or short. It takes half a day to take a rough look, but it is not enough for a day to take a closer look.

The broadcast of Gongdou Opera has made many Internet celebrities check-in places in the Forbidden City. With a check-in map, many tourists check in according to the map.

One of the places where Internet celebrities check in is Persimmons Red Wall.

Beautiful women wearing Ge or Manchu costumes will appear from time to time in the Forbidden City, shuttling among tourists, taking photos and live broadcasts.

In recent years, it has become a fashion to wear a plaid dress to the Forbidden City for photography.

Even grandma came to check in.

The Forbidden City is not only a museum, but also a national 5A-level tourist attraction. Therefore, you need to purchase tickets to enter the Forbidden City. The peak season (April to October) is 60 yuan/person and the off-season (November to March) is 40 yuan/person. Free for people over 60 years old. In addition, there is an additional charge for entering the Treasure Hall and the Clock Hall, 10 yuan/person per museum.

With the development of the Forbidden City's marketing and network, more and more Internet celebrities are coming to the Forbidden City for live broadcasts. In November 2020, when the first snow fell in Beijing, there was a long line of tourists outside the gate of the Forbidden City. It seemed that there were no normal tourists.

National Museum of China (first-class museum)

The National Museum is located on the west side of Tiananmen Square, opposite the Great Hall of the People. Admission to the museum is free.

The National Expo has been rated as the most popular museum in the world, ranking first in the number of visitors, and has become the most popular and popular museum in the world.

The National Expo is very powerful, including a five-story exhibition hall on the bottom floor. It is the largest museum we have ever visited.

Video from the National Museum Hall.

In December 2020, it took us two consecutive days to visit all the 21 exhibition halls that had been opened in a cursory manner.

The National Expo Hall is centered on the exhibition area of the central hall and is divided into two exhibition areas: south and north.

There are dozens of exhibition halls in the south and north exhibition areas.

The exhibitions in the exhibition area of the National Expo Hall are divided into: basic display exhibitions, special exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, international exchange exhibitions, and National Expo touring exhibitions.

There are two basic exhibition halls,"Ancient China Exhibition" and "Road to Renaissance Exhibition". The two exhibition halls cover a large area and have a long viewing time (none of the other exhibition halls are very large). Among them, the ancient Chinese exhibition hall is the largest, accounting for most of the B1 floor, and is also the most worth seeing.

The ancient Chinese exhibition hall is based on the change of dynasties and is divided into eight parts: the ancient period, the Xia, Shang and Western Zhou periods, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Qin and Han periods, the Three Kingdoms, the Two Jin and Southern Dynasties periods, the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties periods, the Liao, Song, Xia, Jin, and Ming and Qing periods.

The Road to Rejuvenation exhibition hall has exhibitions from the beginning of the Opium War in 1840, to the construction of New China, and then to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Giant sculpture on the road to rejuvenation.

There are N special exhibition halls: such as "Ancient Chinese Jade Art Exhibition","Ancient Chinese Coin Exhibition","Ancient Chinese Buddha Statues","Ancient Chinese Porcelain Art Exhibition","Ancient Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition", etc.

Temporary exhibitions are divided into several types: theme exhibitions, boutique exhibitions, historical and cultural exhibitions, archaeological discovery exhibitions, regional cultural exhibitions, and classic art exhibitions. Thematic exhibitions include "Exhibition of Classical Art Works Collected" and "Theme Exhibition to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Taiwan's Restoration".

The exhibition of classic art works in the collection includes: Chairman Mao raised the first five-star red flag at the founding ceremony, the microphones and salutes used, and the red lanterns hung on the Tiananmen Gate Tower; the first piece of the Central People's Government was unveiled and the seals of various departments of the Government Council; New China's classic art works such as "The Founding Ceremony" and "The Five Heroes of Langya Mountain".

High-quality exhibitions, such as "Shandong Boxing Buddha Statue Exhibition","National Expo Museum Ming and Qing Portrait Exhibition", etc.;

Historical and cultural exhibitions, such as "Ancient Chinese Bronze Mirror Culture","Grand Canal Culture Exhibition","Ancient Chinese Ceramics Maritime Trade Exhibition","Ancient Chinese Musical Instrument Exhibition", etc.;

Archaeological discovery exhibitions, such as "Shanxi Jiuwutou Archaeological Achievements Exhibition","Hongshan Culture Archaeological Achievements Exhibition", etc.;

The so-called "China's First Dragon in Ancient Times" unearthed in Hongshan has now become the symbol of Hua Xia Bank.

Regional cultural exhibitions, such as "Shandong Folk Arts Exhibition","Fujian Traditional Craft Exhibition", etc.;

Classic art exhibitions, such as "Chinese Sketch Exhibition","Gansu Painted Pottery Art Exhibition", etc.

In the public spaces on each floor of the National Expo Hall, there are also "Collection of Sculptures Exhibition","Longquan, Blue and White Porcelain Exhibition","Collection of Stone Carving Buddhist Statues Exhibition","Song Dynasty Stone Carving Art Exhibition", etc.

There are countless collections in the National Expo Museum. Even the aisles of the restaurant are filled with dazzling collections. (The restaurant only serves instant noodles and other foods, remember to bring your own dry food).

The National Expo often undertakes major national exhibitions, such as the "Great Change-Large-scale Exhibition Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening up" held in 2018.

Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution (first-class museum)

The Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution is located at No. 9 Fuxing Road, Haidian District. Its main building is one of the top ten buildings in the capital dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the National Day. Visit is free.

The military expo is a paradise for military fans, displaying thousands of aircraft and tanks, missiles and satellites, guns and cannons, etc., but the number is unknown.

The Military Expo Hall has opened a three-story exhibition hall, with 11 exhibition halls in two categories: theme exhibitions and basic exhibitions. In 2020, we visited the museum for two days before we finished viewing all the exhibitions.

The theme exhibition for 2020 is: Bearing in mind the great victory and defending peace and justice-a theme exhibition commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers 'war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea abroad.

The exhibition is sorted according to the time of historical events of that year, and is divided into seven parts, including the preface hall,"Decision-to-Send Troops in Justice","Movement to Destroy the Enemy's Stable Front","Use War to Promote Talks for a Stronger Vietnam War","Achieve Armistice and Victory and Return to China","The Great Significance and Historical Contribution of the Victory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea".

Exhibition to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

Video of the exhibition to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea.

The basic displays include: revolutionary war displays led by the Communist Party of China, weapon displays, Chinese military displays of dynasties, military science and technology displays, etc.

The revolutionary war display led by the Communist Party of China mainly displays the great achievements from 1921 to 1949 before the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The weapons display is divided into three exhibition areas. The first exhibition area is for aircraft, missiles, ships, etc. displayed in the central hall on the first floor. Various aircraft are placed on the ground and in the air.

The most eye-catching thing in the central hall is the giant Chinese-made H-66 heavy bomber in the center, which is far larger than ordinary civil aircraft.

Video of the aircraft show in the central lobby.

The second exhibition area of the weapons display is the pistols, rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, ammunition, knives, etc. displayed on the three corridors on the second floor.

Thousands of various weapons and equipment that our army has used, seized and developed are dazzling.

The third exhibition area of the weapons display is for tanks and armored vehicles, various types of artillery, U2 aircraft wreckage, Hongqi-2 missile, etc. displayed in the central hall on the first floor.

Only when I arrived at the scene did I realize how terrifying tanks and armored vehicles were. A grenade could not be destroyed. Some anti-Japanese dramas were really bragging.

Video of tank and armored vehicle exhibition.

The military display of Chinese dynasties mainly shows the military development of the Chinese nation over thousands of years from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the founding of the Republic of China.

The military science and technology display is set up as follows: Army Heavy Weapons Technology and Equipment Hall, Army Light Weapons Technology and Equipment Hall, Army Aviation Weapons Technology and Equipment Hall, Navy Weapons Technology and Equipment Hall, Air Force Weapons Technology and Equipment Hall, Missile Weapons Technology and Equipment Hall, Nuclear weapons and Nuclear Technology Peaceful utilization and other exhibition areas.

Equipment of the Army Light Weapons Technology and Equipment Department.

The Air Force's weapons and equipment technology exhibition area includes China's relatively advanced aircraft: the J-10 fighter jet.

The Chinese-made "99A main battle tank" in the Army's Heavy Weapons and Equipment Technology Exhibition Area is eye-catching.

China's first atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb models are displayed in the exhibition area for peaceful uses of nuclear weapons and nuclear technology.

Outside the military expo hall, there are also many sculpture groups expressing military themes.

National Art Museum of China

The National Art Museum of China is located at No. 1 Wusi Street, Dongcheng Area. The building is one of the top ten buildings for the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Visit is free.

The National Art Museum of China is a national museum of plastic arts focusing on displaying the works of modern and modern Chinese artists. It has six floors and 21 exhibition halls.

There are basically no permanent exhibitions in the National Art Museum of China. The exhibitions may be different every month. Interested tourists can enter and visit them multiple times.

In September 2020, when we went there, there were "Collection of Japanese Ukiyo-e Exhibition","Qing Dynasty Woodblock New Year Painting Exhibition","Supporting Wisdom with Beauty-Poverty Alleviation Art Exhibition","Collection Exhibition","Xizang Qinghai Thangka Exhibition" and five exhibitions including five exhibitions.

The National Art Museum of China is the top art museum in China and often has various national-level exhibitions.

Japan Ukiyo-e Exhibition.

Walking into the Human Body Hall is a popular science exhibition that systematically displays the scientific content of human body structure.

The Hall of Prosperity of Invertebrates tells about major historical events such as the formation of fossils, the origin of life, the Cambrian explosion, and the prosperity of invertebrates.

The prosperity hall of invertebrates includes protozoa, sponges, coelenterates, brachiopods, mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms and other classes.

Animals-Friends of mankind displayed precious animal specimens in their collection, which is a colorful "animal kingdom".

The animal specimens on display not only include national first-and second-class protected animals, but also many precious specimens provided by foreign countries.

The Aquatic Life Museum is like a small marine life museum, displaying a variety of fish.

The goldfish in the Aquatic Biology Museum are particularly beautiful, including the most popular bubble-eyed goldfish.

The Dinosaur Park displays dozens of lifelike dinosaurs, pterosaurs, etc., reflecting the appearance of the dinosaur world in different periods.

What attracts children most is that the dinosaurs restored in the Dinosaur Park are very realistic. They can shake their heads and tails, bared their claws, roar and whine, blink, gasp, etc., making the dinosaurs look more realistic.

The magic of Africa mainly displays the most representative wild animals on the African continent.

Beijing Planetarium (first-class museum)

The Beijing Planetarium is located on Xizhimenwai Street in Beijing. It is the largest astronomy museum in the country and the first large-scale planetarium on the Asian continent.

The Planetarium not only promotes and popularizes astronomy knowledge, but is also a national 4A-level tourist attraction, so you need to buy tickets to enter the museum. There are two types of tickets: exhibition hall tickets, 10 yuan/person (free for people over 60 years old). Theater tickets, 45-30 yuan/person (tickets are not exempted for people over 60 years old, but there is a discount).

The Planetarium consists of two halls, A and B, and has a total of 4 popular science theaters. Hall A is an old building, and Hall B is a modern building and is a key area of the exhibition hall.

The highlight of the planetarium is watching astronomy movies. The largest Planetarium screens "The Wonderful Stars" and "UFOs and Aliens"; the Universe Theater screens "The Blurred Interstellar" and "The Palace in the Sky"; the 4D Theater screens "Impact and Life" and "Crossing the Cambrian"; The 3D Theater screens astronomy movies such as "Running to the Moon".

Movies are played at fixed times. Each movie has a short screening time, ranging from 35 to 17 minutes. Due to the small size of the movie venue and the large number of visitors, sometimes theater tickets cannot be bought on site or the location is poor. It is recommended to plan in advance and purchase theater tickets online first (if you purchase theater tickets, you do not need to purchase separate exhibition hall tickets).

Hall B has four floors. The first floor is the "Journey to the Universe" exhibition, which includes: the Sun Family, Moon Walking, Meteorite Tribe, Constellation Manifestations, Mysteries of the Universe, Colorful Universe, Giant Eye Observation of the Sky, Accompanying Stars, Cosmic Lighthouse, Solar Science Hall, etc.

The Sun Family.

Moon and Meteorite Exhibition Area.

Chinese lunar rover.

The B1 floor of Hall B is a "Universe Travel" exhibition, which includes: universe evolution, universe scale, exoplanets, gravitational lenses, escaping black holes, celestial systems, space-time travel, etc.

The second floor of Hall B is the "Cosmic Storm" exhibition, which displays some deep-sky objects, including galaxies, star clusters, nebulae, etc.

Constellation chart.

There are three popular science theaters in Hall B: Universe Theater, 4D Theater, and 3D Theater. Among them, the Universe Theater with a diameter of 18 meters has a standard hemispherical all-sky screen, which can present a magnificent three-dimensional sky effect for 200 viewers at the same time. This is unique in mainland China.

We only bought a very front position in the Universe Theater (the farther the back, the better) and watched a movie "Blurred Interstellar". Its hemispheric all-sky screen almost required you to lie on a chair to watch it.

The Planetarium of Hall A is the largest planetarium in mainland China and has the highest resolution all-sky digital projection system in the world.

The Planetarium Theater in Hall A is the largest theater in the Planetarium, and its theater tickets are the most popular. The movie can realistically restore more than 9,000 stars visible to the naked eye on earth for 400 viewers in the venue (we missed the time and couldn't watch it).

Hall A has temporary exhibitions: "Searching for Another Earth-From Exoplanets to Extraterrestrial Civilization","Antique Telescope Exhibition", etc.

Antique telescope exhibition.

The Planetarium also has an ancient Beijing observatory, which is located outside Jianguomen and is not in the same place. The Ancient Observatory was a royal observatory for the Ming and Qing dynasties. A separate ticket is required to visit it.

Capital Museum (first-class museum)

When we visited, there were temporary displays such as "Exhibition of Fine Collections of the Polish National Museum" and "Cultural Exhibition of the Year of the Pig".

The basic displays of the First Expo include: "Ancient Capital Beijing·History and Culture·Urban Construction","Old Beijing Folk Customs Exhibition" and other exhibition halls.

The special exhibitions of the First Expo Hall include: "Beijing Ancient Pagoda Cultural Relics Exhibition" and other exhibition halls.

"The Ancient Capital of Beijing, History and Culture, Urban Construction" is the core of the exhibition at the First Exhibition Hall, showing Beijing's historical process from the formation of primitive settlements to the capital of New China.

Urban construction model.

"Old Beijing Things-Old Beijing Folk Customs Exhibition" displays folk customs matters over the past 800 years since Beijing's capital was founded, such as marriage, birth, birthday greetings, New Year greetings, hutong life, commercial customs, Peking Opera, etc.

The gongs sound to open the way.

Birthday celebration hall.

Exhibition of Peking Opera cultural relics collected.

Peking Opera costumes.

Hutong life.

The Capital Expo Hall has many treasures in its collection, such as bronzes, ceramics, Buddha statues, jade, gold and silver ware, coins, calligraphy, paintings, embroidery, cultural toys, etc.

Buddha statue exhibition.

Painting exhibition.

Ceramics exhibition.

The "Central Round Hall" in the center of the Film Museum has a huge ring curtain, providing a venue for gatherings and celebrations.

The first level is the themed exhibition "Light and Shadow Express China's Struggle for a New Era", which shows the glorious history and achievements of Chinese films in the 70 years since the founding of New China.

The second to fourth floors are permanent exhibition halls: the "Centenary Journey and Century Glory" exhibition, which shows the century-old journey of Chinese films from 1905 to 2005.

The preface hall is the "first" exhibition board for Chinese films. It shows that the first Chinese film was filmed in 1905; the first people's film was born in Yan 'an in 1938; and the seven firsts of New China films after the founding of the People's Republic of China record the "century-old journey" and "century glory" that Chinese films have gone through.

The Film Art Exhibition Hall consists of 11 exhibition halls including "Invention of Film","Birth and Early Development of Chinese Films","Chinese Films during the Revolutionary War","Creation and Development of New China Films","Chinese Films in the New Era of Reform and Opening up","Art Films","Children's Films","Science Education Films, Dubbed Films, News Documentary Films","Films from Hong Kong and Macao", and "Films from Taiwan".

Hall 1 "Invention of Film". On December 28, 1895, the French film inventors, the Lumiere brothers, invented the motion picture camera. In 1895, the Lumiere brothers screened the world's first publicly sold movie in Paris.

Hall 3,"Chinese Films During the Revolutionary War", Shanghai Street View.

Hall 4,"The Creation and Development of New China Films", created a new image of Chinese workers, peasants and soldiers on the screen for the first time.

The Film Technology Expo Area consists of 10 exhibition halls, including "Film Shooting","Film Art","Film Special Photography","Traditional Film Special Effects","Film Digital Special Effects","Film Recording","Film Editing","Film Finishing","Film Animation", and "Various Films".

The Film Museum has announced many online celebrity check-in spots in exhibition halls, allowing tourists to check in.

For example, Hall 12,"Film Art", has the main scene of the movie "Lin Family Shop", the "Town Commercial Street".

Video of Lin's shop town commercial street.

Lin's shop and Boss Lin.

In Hall 14,"Traditional Film Special Effects", a screen rotating backwards is arranged outside the still carriage, giving people sitting in the carriage the illusion that the train is moving forward (video).

Among the six cinemas in the theater area, except for the movies in Cinema No. 6, which can be viewed for free, other cinemas require tickets to watch movies, and the ticket prices vary.

Giant Screen ( IMAX ), also known as Giant Screen, is currently the most advanced imaging system in the world. The screen is 27 meters wide and 21 meters high. The realistic sound effects far exceed the movie-watching experience of ordinary cinemas and are called the "ultimate experience of movies." We watched an American movie "Creed" in the Giant Screen Hall, and it felt great, especially the sound effects, which we had never experienced before.

The Film Museum conducts cultural exchanges with foreign institutions from time to time and jointly organizes "International Film Tour Exhibitions", such as Italian Film Week, Russian Film Exhibition, Spanish Film Exhibition, etc. These foreign films are basically not released in cinemas.

The Film Museum will also hold "Domestic Theme Film Exhibitions" from time to time, such as the theme exhibition "Remembering the Original Heart-Red Films Celebrating the 19th National Congress", the screening of Xie Tieli's film works, and the film exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of performing artist Zhao Dan.

Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum is located at Wuta Temple, No. 24 Wuta Temple Village, Haidian District. Adult tickets are 20 yuan/person, and free for the elderly in Beijing.

The museum was built on the site of an ancient temple called "Zhenjue Temple" in the Ming Dynasty. Zhenjue Temple now has five towers of King Kong Throne Tower, so it is also known as the "Five Pagoda Temple".

The Vajra Throne Tower consists of a tower base, a pavilion and five four-corner dense eaves towers. It has a brick interior and a stone exterior structure. It is a stupa in the form of the Buddha Gaya Jingshe in India.

Exquisite Buddhist carvings are carved around the King Kong throne, between the small tower base and the eaves of the tower. They are rare large-scale ancient art.

The pair of male and female ginkgo trees in front of the King Kong Throne Tower are over 600 years old. They are female on the east and male on the west. Therefore, it is best to arrange a visit to the Five Pagoda Temple in November when the ginkgo leaves are yellow, so that you can achieve multiple goals at one stroke.

Due to the needs of Beijing's urban construction, many old buildings, old streets, tombs, etc. have been demolished. Many of the stone carvings of past dynasties that have been demolished have been concentrated in the Wuta Temple and opened as the "Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum".

Focusing on the King Kong Tower, the museum is divided into two types of stone carvings: open-air display and indoor display. More than 500 kinds of stone carvings from past dynasties are displayed.

The stone carvings on display in the museum include the earliest surviving Han Dynasty stone carvings in Beijing, Northern Dynasty elephants, epitaph of the Tang and Ming dynasties, Jin and Yuan stone carvings, Qing Dynasty legal stickers, and famous calligraphy carved stones, etc.

Open-air display: There are six stone carving display areas on the east and west sides of the Jingang Tower: stone carvings in the tomb, temple monuments, temple tombstones, Jesuit monuments, comprehensive inscriptions, etc.

The stone carving area inside the tomb.

Temple tombstone carving area.

Jesuit Monument District.

Comprehensive inscription area.

The stone carvings displayed in the open air are not large in area. If you look at a lot from a distance, you can read them in an hour. If you savor it carefully, it takes a lot of time.

There are Western Stele Corridor, Jinshi Corridor, Jinshi Academy, and Eastern Stele Corridor on both sides of the museum.

Jinshi Academy.

Eastern stele corridor.

Indoor display: There is a rear enclosure behind the King Kong Tower, which houses the Beijing Cultural Exhibition of Beijing Stone Carvings.

Excellent stone carvings.

guanfu Museum

Guanfu Museum is the largest privately owned museum in Beijing, located at No. 18 Jinnan Road, Zhangwanfen, Dashanzi, Chaoyang District. Tickets for the Guanfu Hall are 100 yuan/person, and 50 yuan/person will be discounted at half price for the elderly.

The Guanfu Museum is founded and currently curated by Mr. Ma Weidu, a famous cultural relic collector and appraiser. The gate of the Guanfu Hall is very ordinary-looking, a small bungalow.

Observing cats was Mr. Ma Weidu's idea. Observing cats can be found both inside and outside the museum. Cats have become "the most cultured cat in history" in this museum.

As soon as I entered the Guanfu Hall, there was a "Guanfu Cat Hall" that collected all kinds of live cats.

There are also Guanfu cat cartoons, Guanfu cat handicrafts, Guanfu cat exhibition, Guanfu cat books, Guanfu cat postal booklet, etc.

The Guanfu Hall has: porcelain hall, furniture hall, oil painting hall, craft hall, image hall, door and window hall and multi-purpose hall.

The ancient decoration of the Guanfu Hall focuses on open forms, emphasizes the communication between people and history, and highlights the affinity of traditional culture.

The porcelain on display in the Ceramics Museum is the most representative artifact from the Tang, Song, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing periods.

The five famous kiln porcelain in Chinese history (Ru Kiln, Jun Kiln, Guan Kiln, Ge Kiln, Ding Kiln), as well as Cizhou Kiln Porcelain and Jingdezhen Porcelain, can be seen all at once here.

Qing Dynasty rosewood furniture.

Huanghuali furniture.

The craft hall displays ancient handicrafts, including cloisonne, library utensils, bronzes, lacquerware, copper-body painting and enamel ware.

Bronze body painting enamel ware.

The door and window hall displays ancient doors, windows, partitions, fences and other architectural components of residential buildings in the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China.

The large-area screen door is very elegant.

The oil painting gallery displays works by well-known contemporary Chinese painters, including Chen Yifei, Yang Feiyun, Chen Yanning, Liu Wenjin, Luo Zhongli and others, as well as modern sculptures.

The oil painting gallery displays important works by contemporary Chinese oil painters and sculptors all year round, and adjusts the exhibition theme from time to time.

After introducing the 10 most worthwhile museums and art galleries in Beijing, we will briefly introduce some unique museums.

China Garden Museum (Class II Museum)

The Garden Museum is the first national-level museum with the theme of gardens in China and is free to visit.

The Garden Museum mainly collects garden historical relics and displays the charm of garden art.

Beijing Folk Museum (Level III Museum)

The Beijing Folk Museum is built in Dongyue Temple. It is the only state-owned folk museum in the capital and is free to visit.

Dongyue Temple was originally the largest jungle in the Taoist sect in North China. It mainly worships the god of Mount Tai, the Great Dongyue.

There are a large number of temples to see in Dongyue Temple, old and newly built, one next to the other, and the number is huge.

The back building of Dongyue Temple houses the showroom of the Beijing Folk Museum, which holds exhibitions of folk customs and customs all year round.

poly Art Museum

Poly Art Museum is a private museum and charges 20 yuan/person. The museum is small and takes an hour or two to visit.

The Poly Art Museum follows a simple and exquisite route, mainly focusing on bronzes. It only has two exhibition halls: "Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Bronze Art" and "Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Stone Carving Buddhist Statue Art".

Exquisite stone Buddhist statues.

The Poly Art Museum has many rare art treasures in the world, such as the ox head, monkey head, tiger head, and pig head in the bronze statue of the animal head in Yuanmingyuan.

China Ancient Zoological Museum

The China Museum of Palaeozoology is China's first national-level special museum using fossils of paleontology as a carrier. It is also currently the largest museum of palaeozoology in Asia. Free visit.

The Palaeozoology Museum systematically introduces the origin and phylogeny of vertebrates

According to the evolutionary sequence of organisms, the Palaeozoology Museum is divided into two halls (the Vertebrate Paleontology Museum and the Tree and Ancient Anthropology Museum) and four exhibition halls (the exhibition hall of ancient fish shapes and ancient amphibians, the exhibition hall of ancient reptiles and ancient birds, and the exhibition hall of ancient mammals). Animal exhibition hall, ancient humans and Paleolithic exhibition hall).

The Ancient Zoological Museum displays nearly a thousand collections, with a wide range of exhibits, making it the first in Asia and the most in China.

China Century Art Museum (Grade III Museum)

The China Century Art Museum is located in the China Century Monument. It is an art museum that mainly displays world art.

There is no charge for visiting the basic exhibitions of the Century Art Museum, but additional tickets are required for some famous special exhibitions.

The China Century Art Museum cooperates with foreign institutions to hold high-level art exhibitions from time to time such as Italian Renaissance art, National Geographic Classic Image Feast, and ice and snow art to welcome the Winter Olympics.

Ice and snow art exhibition to welcome the Winter Olympics.

National Museum of ancient books and records

The National Museum of Classics, located in the National Library, belongs to a book cultural exhibition and is free to visit.

The Museum of Classics uses "paper and characters" as the basic elements, displaying contents from oracle bone inscriptions more than 3000 years ago to ancient books in ethnic languages, manuscripts of famous masters, and rare Western texts.

National precious ancient books.

red brick Art Museum

The Red Brick Art Museum is a private art museum with its biggest feature being "red bricks". Paid visit, 130 yuan/person.

The Red Brick Art Museum uses red bricks as the basic element, supplemented by some blue bricks, to create a contemporary landscape courtyard art museum.

The works of the art museum are all made of bricks and are unique in China.

The art on display in the art museum is unique and has a new aesthetic experience.

Luohong Photography Art Museum

Luo Hong Photography Art Museum is a private art museum and charges a fee of 100 yuan/person, and half price for the elderly.

The owner of the art museum is Luo Hong, president of domestic cake giant Hollyland. Because of its wealth and good photography, a tall and tall photography art museum was built.

Nearly a thousand works in the Photography Art Museum were all created by Luo Hong, and its exhibition production level has reached the top level in China.

Most of the photography works on display by Luo Hong come from uninhabited areas such as Antarctica, the Arctic, Africa, Xinjiang, and Xizang. They are equipped with top-level photography equipment, off-road vehicles, and helicopter follow-up assistance. They are emotionally free, and money means willfulness.

Vivigno Fragrant Art Museum

Vivigno Fragrance Art Museum is located in Qianmen Beijing Square. It is a private art museum and is free to visit.

Unlike other art museums that use your eyes to view, this art museum uses your nose to smell.

The art museum is full of various fragrances, and perfumes have become a fragrance culture.

Qiaofu Contemporary Art Museum

The Qiaofu Contemporary Art Museum is located in the Qiaofu Fangcaodi Building. This is an innovative building in the capital that combines contemporary art exhibitions with fashion shopping and boutique hotels. Visit is free.

The art museum is a diversified art exchange venue. The building integrates art, shopping and food in one stop. It is also a fashionable life in Beijing.

Contemporary art.

At this point, we have finished introducing some of the Beijing museums and art galleries we have visited.

Beijing also has many highly professional museums, such as China Railway Museum, China Geological Museum, China Agricultural Museum, China Chemical Industry Museum, China Aviation Museum, Civil Aviation Museum, China Science and Technology Museum, Beijing Lu Xun Museum, China Printing Museum, China Coin Museum, China Telecom Museum, China Post Stamp Museum, Beijing Opera Museum, Tank Museum, Beijing Police Museum, China Court Museum, We have not been to the China Fire Museum, etc., and we will only visit it again if we have the opportunity in the future. Thanks for reading!

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Oda's Travels, No. 02 of 2021, Total No. 090

January 17, 2021