Beijing Capital Museum

The Beijing Capital Museum, opened in 1981 and moved to its current location in 2006, houses a sizable collection of imperial Chinese art and artifacts, as well as Buddhist relics from several Asian countries. Five aboveground and two basement floors house more than 200,000 specimens, including over 5,000 pieces in the main exhibition hall alone. You’ll find bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, old coins, jade sculptures, Buddhist statues and textiles, with the oldest pieces dating back to the New Stone Age.

Be sure to visit the second floor History and Culture of Beijing gallery that traces the history of the city from its first primitive residents to a modern capital. Learn more about the culture in Old Beijing in the fifth floor Folk Customs of Old Beijing exhibit. The jade exhibit, also on the fifth floor, contains nearly 200 intricately carved jade pieces with magnifying glasses to allow you to see the detail.