Nanjing Museum

The Nanjing Museum, at 321 Zhongshan East Road in Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, is one of China's oldest and largest museums and holds well over 400,000 objects. It was founded in 1933 as the Central Museum by the Nationalist government, with the educator Cai Yuanpei as a key proponent, and it stands next to the old Ming palace site and the Zhongshan Gate area. Its main building, completed in 1936, is in the Liao-dynasty imperial hall style, designed by the architect Xu Jingzhi, and forms a landmark of the Republican era. A modern wing, the Art Museum, and a Republican-era Hall were added in the 2000s and 2010s. The collection spans prehistory to the present and gives special weight to Jiangsu and the Lower Yangtze. The historical galleries follow a chronological sequence from Neolithic jade and pottery through Shang and Zhou bronzes, the Six Dynasties of Nanjing, Ming imperial goods and Qing craftsmanship. Notable pieces include a silver-thread jade burial suit from the Han dynasty, bronze vessels, Ming and Qing porcelain, lacquerware, embroidery and paintings. Other galleries explore intangible heritage, Republican-era history and the Ming and Qing periods. The Republican Hall recreates streets and shops of 1930s Nanjing, an immersive section popular with visitors. The museum's curatorial approach blends chronological history with thematic art displays, and rotating exhibitions supplement the permanent halls. Conservation and restoration laboratories work on ceramics, textiles and metals, and the museum has completed several rounds of renovation while retaining the 1936 hall. Entry is free with passport reservation, and a thorough visit takes three to four hours, though selected highlights can be seen in less time.