About
The Nanjing Museum, also known as Nanjing Bowuguan, Jiangsu Provincial Museum, or 南京博物院, stands at 321 Zhongshan East Road in Xuanwu District, in the city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, China. It is counted among China's first modern museums, and a visit here gives a broad view of the country's art, history and culture.
What you will see
The museum's collection holds over 400,000 artifacts. Among the areas it covers are jade, bronze and porcelain, so a visitor can move from ancient ritual objects to later ceramic work and see how these crafts developed over time.
The buildings
The museum spreads its displays across several buildings, which combine traditional architecture with modern exhibition spaces. Walking between them is part of the experience: the older halls and the newer galleries offer different settings for the same broad story of Chinese culture.
Planning your visit
- Location: Xuanwu District, central Nanjing, on Zhongshan East Road.
- Best for: visitors interested in Chinese art, bronze, jade and porcelain, or anyone wanting a substantial museum day.
- Contact: +86-25-8480-7923, if you need to check current arrangements before you go.
Because the collection is large, it rewards a slow pace. Allow a good part of the day, and pick a few galleries you most want to see rather than trying to take in everything. Nanjing itself, a long-standing city in the Yangtze region, offers plenty to explore around the museum once you have finished.
