The National Museum of China,aTreasure-House of Rich Cultral andArtistic Treasures
2 min readThe National Museum of China flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.China.The mission of the museum is to educate people about the arts and history of China.It isdirected by the Ministry of Culture of the People’sRepublic of China.
The museum was re-organized in 2003 out of two separate museums that had already occupied thebuilding:the Museum of the Chinese Revolutionin the northern wing and the National Museum ofChinese History in the southern wing.The Museumof the Chinese Revolution had been open since 1959and had its origins in the Office of the NationalMuseum of the Revolution,founded in 1950.The National Museum of Chinese History openedits door in 1959 and had its origins in the Beijing National History Museum,founded in 1949,and the prior Preliminary Office of the National History Museum from 1912.
The building was completed in 1959 commensurate with the tenth anniversary celebrationof Communist rule.It complements the opposing Great Hall of the People that was built at thecame time.The structure sits on 65,000m and has a frontal length of 313 meters,a height of fourstories totaling 40 meters,and a width of 149meters.The front displays eleven square pillars atits center.
A fter four years of renovation,the museum reopened on March 17th,2011 with 28 newyhihition halls and more than triple the previous exhibition space and state of the art exhibitionfncilities and storage.It will have a total noor space of nearly 191.900 square meters with morshan a million national treasures in its conecuon.The renovations were designed by the Germ…firm Gerkan,Marg and Partners.
The Museum of Chinese History covers Chinese history from the Yuanmou Man of 1.7million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty(the last imperial dynasty).
The National Museum of China contains over 620,385 cultural items in its permanent artcollection,and the museum displays many precious and rare Chinese historical artifacts that arenot found in many other museums in China and around the world.
Some of the most important collections at the National Museum of China are the”SimuwuDing”(a form of vessel)from Shang Dynasty,which was cast over 3.000 years ago and weighs832.84 kg,and it is the heaviest ancient bronze ware in the world:the Shang Dynasty squarebronze”Zun”(wine vessel)decorated with four sheep heads:a large rare inscribed bronze pan.from Western Zhou Dynasty(11th century BC-771 BC)a gold-inlaid bronze tally in the shapeof a tiger from Oin Dynasty,a Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD)jade burial suit sewn withgold thread,and a comprehensive collection of tri-colored glazed sancai of Tang Dynasty andceramics from Song Dynasty.
