Nanjing Museum

Founded in 1933 as the National Central Museum, this was China's first state museum built to a modern plan, and its collection of over four hundred thousand objects is among the country's strongest, particularly in Jiangsu archaeology, porcelain and painting. The main hall is a 1930s building in Liao dynasty style by the architect Xu Jingzhi. Highlights include a Han jade burial suit sewn with silver thread, a gilt-bronze beast, extensive Ming and Qing porcelain, and a large collection of paintings. The Republic-era gallery recreates a 1930s Nanjing street underground, complete with shops, a post office and a cinema, which draws as many visitors as the antiquities.

History

The museum began in 1933 as the preparatory department of the National Central Museum, on 12.9 hectares at the Half Hill Garden by Zhongshan Gate; Cai Yuanpei, the first head of its council, planned three great halls for humanity, craft and nature, but only the hall of humanity was built. The historian Fu Sinian and the archaeologist Li Ji were among its early heads, and the archaeologist Zeng Zhaoyu was its first woman director and one of its founders; the museum was extended in 1999 and 2009 and now holds more than 400,000 objects (Wikipedia, Nanjing Museum).

What's there

• The jade burial suit - a Han-era suit sewn with silver thread.
• The Republic-era street - a recreated 1930s Nanjing streetscape underground.
• The porcelain galleries - Ming and Qing ceramics in depth.
• The 1930s main hall - the Liao-revival building of the original museum.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes on Mondays. Free entry requires advance online booking with passport details, and slots are limited. Weekdays are much quieter than weekends.

Before you go

Booking is required and difficult for visitors without a Chinese phone number or payment app, though the ticket desk can sometimes help. The museum is very large and cannot be covered in one visit. English labelling is partial.

Nearby

Purple Mountain lies east; the city wall and Zhongshan Gate are adjacent.

Key facts