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The Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution are housed in the same building complex, which stretches for more than 300 metres north and south along the east side of Tian'anmen Square.
It has more than 610,000 relics dating to thousands of years ago. From military relics to cultural relics, visitors can get a sense of the rich culture of a historic nation. They can also get an introduction to China's modern history from the Opium War to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. English translations are available for all.
Address: Tian'anmen Square (east side), Chaoyang District
Opening Hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. (peak season), 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (low season)
The Chairman Mao's Mausoleum stands in the south of the Tian'anmen Square, between the Monument to the People's Heroes and the Zhengyang Gate. The Memorial Hall is to memorize the founder and first Chairman of the People's Republic of China. It provides people with a place to show their respects to Chairman Mao.
The Memorial Hall is a square building with light yellow walls and with tumbler roof. The yard of Memorial Hall has the length of 260 meters from south to north and width of 220 meters from west to east. The commemoration hall is located in the central of the yard.
Address: 11 Qianmennan Dajie, southern Tian' anmen Square，Chongwen District
Opening Hours: 8:30–11:30 a.m. (Tues.–Sun.), 2–4 p.m. (Tues.–Thu.), (closed Mon.)
Bus/Subway: Special Route No.1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 22, 37, 52, 54, 120, 726, 728, 802, 826, subway (Qianmen station)
The Capital Museum houses nearly 200,000 valuable artefacts, unearthed in the Beijing area. Among the treasures are: ancient coins, stoneware, bronzes, steles, jade, calligraphy and paintings. At the core of the collection are 800 historical relics that tell the history of the Beijing area.
Now located inside the Confucius Temple (Kong Miao) near the Yonghegong (Lama Temple) on the North Second Ring Road at Yonghegong Dajie, a new building housing the museum will be completed by the end of 2005 at the western end of Chang’an Jie (Avenue). Basic information about the museum and its exhibits can be accessed on computers installed there.
Address: (In the Confucius Temple) 13, Guozijian Jie, Dongcheng District
Opening Hours: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Bus/Subway: 807, 116, (Yonghegong station)
.jpg) Ancient ObservatoryThe Ancient Observatory was initially built circa 1442 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Today, the observatory has become the 'Beijing Ancient Astronomical Instruments Display Hall', an affiliate of the Beijing Observatory.
In total, the observatory covers an area of 1,000 square meters (about 0.25 acre). It is divided into two parts, the platform and the affiliated building. The platform is 17.79 meters (about 58.4 feet) high, 24 meters (about 78.7 feet) long and 20 meters (about 65.6 feet) wide. Eight bronzed astronomical instruments stand on this platform, all of which are ornately carved, having been well preserved since the time of the Qing Dynasty.
Address: 2 Dongbiaobei Hutong, Jianguomen Subway Station, Dongcheng District
Opening Hours: 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Bus/Subway: 1, 4, 52, 403, (Jianguomen station)
.jpg) Beijing Planetarium Resting alongside an original Planetarium that was established in 1957, the 300 million yuan (US$36 million), 20,000-square-metre new Planetarium complex has three theatres, two observatories and a solar exhibition hall. The solar system exhibition hall and a galaxy exhibition hall have been the most popular since they opened.
Visitors are treated to a state-of-the-art, 45-minute, mesmerising trip through the stars via the Planetarium's newly opened SGI(R) Digital Space Theatre where visitors can—for the first time—view an astonishing array of high-contrast colour images including more than 37,000 stars, 30,000 galaxies, constellations, nebulae, planets, spacecraft, and deep space objects.
Address: 38 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Haidian District
Opening Hours: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (Sat.), 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (Wed.–Fri.)
 Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution The museum is composed of two four-story wings and a main building of seven stories topped with the gilded emblem of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. More than 5,000 years of Chinese military history are on display.
Address:9 Fu xing Lu, Haidian District
Opening Hours: 8a.m.–5 p.m.
Bus/Subway: 1, 4, 21, 337, (Military Museum station)
 Beijing Art Museum The permanent collection of the Beijing Art Museum includes bronze and jade artefacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties (17th–3rd centuries BC), and ceramics, enamels, carved lacquerware, ivory, weavings and embroideries from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ancient coins from the China and Japan complement the collection. More than 50,000 artefacts from the Neolithic Period to modern times make up the entire collection.
Address: Wanshou Temple, Suzhou Jie, Haidian District
Opening Hours: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Bus: 300, 323, 374, 811
 Beijing Museum of Natural History The largest of its kind in China, the Beijing Museum of Natural History is located on the western edge of the Temple of Heaven. The first floor displays China's zoological history; on the second floor a study of human anatomy with human cadavers and preserved organs are displayed. The museum traces the evolution and development of human beings over the last 300–400 million years.
Address:126 Tianqiaonan Dajie, Chongwen District
Opening Hours: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Bus: 2, 6, 15, 17, 20, 25, 35, 36, 45, 53, 110, 120
Arguably China's largest private museum, most of the exhibits on display at the China Red Sandalwood Museum are not surprisingly made of red sandalwood. The museum also devotes some space to rare woods including ebony and huali (Onmosia henryi).
Address: 23 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District
Opening Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Bus/Subway: 312, 363, 718, (Sihuidong station)
 Beijing Urban Planning Museum The Beijing Urban Planning Museum exhibits stunning scale models of Beijing's city planning including its business districts, Olympic Village and on the third floor the entire city of Beijing in miniature and aerial photographs. Look for your own neighbourhood—it's remarkable!
Address: east of Beijing Railway Station, Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
Opening Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed Mon.)
Bus/Subway: 5, 9, 20, 44, 120, 819, (Qianmen station)
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