Beijing Capital Museum

Beijing Capital Museum
The address of Beijing Capital Museum is: 16 Fuxingmen Outer Street in the west extension of Chang'an Avenue, in Xicheng District of Beijing City. It covers an area of 29,700 square yards (24,832 square meters) with five floors above ground and two floors underground; its floor area has now reached 75,800 square yards (63,378 square meters). The initial construction started in 1953, and it was formally open to the public in 1981. The Confucian Temple, along the Guozijian Street, was its original site. In order to accommodate a larger collection and a better service to visitors, the new site of Capital Museum was built in December, 2001 and opened on May 18th, 2006.
Collecting, exhibiting cultural relics, and undertaking related research are the three main tasks. Beijing Capital Museum has fully adopted internationally advanced technology in its construction and ranks among the best in China. With imposing building, abundant exhibitions, high technology and advanced services, it has placed itself in the world a leading position. Cultural relics unearthed in this city are its main items on display, which bear forceful features of the city.
Exhibitions
Beijing Capital Museum stored various kinds of cultural relics extensively over the past decades. Bronze Vessels, porcelain ware, calligraphy works, paintings, coins, jades, seals, needlework, Buddhist statues are in its collection. Some of them enjoy a high reputation both at home and abroad for their rarity.
Most of the collections are those unearthed after 1949. Some cultural relics even date back to the New Stone Age. In total, there are 5,622 pieces of cultural relics on exhibition in the main exhibition hall and in the oval exhibition hall.
Stele of the Emperor Qian Long - Representative Treasure
The Stele of the Emperor Qian Long is a treasure in it. This stele with a height of 22 feet (6.7 meters) and a weight of over 40 ton is constructed of white marble and is well preserved. The Stele of Qian Long is composed by the stele body, two stele caps and two stele bases. The inscription on the stele is in both Manchu and Han languages and in the Kai (regular script) characters. It contains two passages, which share the idea to demonstrate the significance of the capital. These two passages are also the greatest value among the steles of this emperor.
In addition, Beijing Capital Museum has many other valuable cultural relics. Its exhibition can be divided into three parts - the temporary exhibit, the main display, and the fine collection display.
Beijing Capital Museum occupies two floors of the main exhibition hall, on the lower ground and ground floors. The items on display are constantly renewed. The culture of Beijing and other places of China and the world may all be the themes of the temporary exhibits.
The main display includes exhibitions on history, building construction and folk customs of this city.