Showcasing the cultural and historical aspects of a great nation, the National Museum of China has a special place in Chinese public life. It had its origins in the Beijing National History Museum founded in 1912. A new building was constructed in 1959 on the eastern flank of Tiananmen Square in 1959 that created a milestone in modern Chinese architectural history. The museum’s architecture complemented that of the Great Hall of the People which was built at the same time. Both buildings combined elements of Chinese architectural tradition with a neoclassical style.
This building housed the China History Museum and the China Revolutionary Museum. In 2003 the National Museum of China was established with the merger of the two establishments. A four year renovation of the museum started in 2007 and was completed in March 2011. This included the construction of a new building which blends harmoniously with the external look of the old building with a Chinese garden in between. Comprising of expansive gleaming well lit interiors and a green roof, it adds twenty-eight new exhibition halls, a digital theatre, data centre, bookstore, shops and parking areas. The increased exhibition space of 191,900 sq m. makes this the largest museum in the world. It houses more than one million national treasures. Some of the treasures on display are more than 3,000 years old and showcases China’s technical prowess and culture. Bronze vessels, jade artifacts, tri-colour glazed ware, textiles, paintings, calligraphy, jewellery, items in wood and clay and ceramics from the Zhou, Qin, Han, Jing, Tang Song, Ming and Qing dynasties take pride of place. However the oldest item on display is the lower jaw and teeth of Yanmou Man from the Yuan Province dating 1,700,000 years. Ten million visitors are expected to visit the museum annually.
In April 2011, The National Museum of China established a foundation to maintain and expand its collection and to host public and cultural activities. The institution will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012.
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