Nanjing Museum

Nanjing Museum stands at 321 Zhongshan East Road in Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, near the Ming city wall and the Purple Mountain area. It began as the National Central Museum, planned in 1933 under the Republican government, and the original main hall, designed by the architect Xu Jingzhi in a Liao-dynasty-inspired style, still stands as the historic centrepiece. Much of the Republican-era collection was moved during the Second Sino-Japanese War and later returned, and the museum was reorganised after 1949 as a provincial institution.

The holdings run to hundreds of thousands of objects, including jade, bronze, ceramics, textiles, paintings and calligraphy. Well-known pieces include a Han-dynasty jade burial suit sewn with silver thread, Southern Dynasties brick reliefs depicting the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, and fine porcelain from the Ming and Qing periods. Displays draw on archaeological finds from Jiangsu, such as Neolithic and Bronze Age material, alongside imperial and scholarly art associated with the region's Ming and Qing culture.

An expansion and renovation completed in 2013 added new galleries and a modern wing beside the historic hall. The layout is a mix of chronological and thematic displays: the Historical Gallery follows the region's history in sequence, while special halls concentrate on jade, ceramics, art and intangible heritage, and the Republic of China Hall recreates Nanjing streets of the early twentieth century. There is also a digital gallery with interactive displays. The main hall retains its Republican-era character, while the newer buildings provide climate-controlled space for fragile textiles and paintings.

Entry is free with advance real-name reservation, and the museum is closed on Mondays except on national holidays. Last entry is at 4:30 PM. Because the collection is vast, visitors normally select galleries rather than attempt everything, and the museum is a good companion to a visit to the Presidential Palace or the Ming Palace Ruins.