Beijing Grand Canal Museum 北京大运河博物馆

About Beijing Grand Canal Museum

Its founding exhibition program paired the history and culture of the waterway with immersive interpretation and the development of the municipal administrative center. The museum sits beside Beijing Library and Beijing Performing Arts Center near Central Green Forest Park, creating a distinct modern cultural cluster in Tongzhou. Anchor the visit in the canal-history material, then add a current temporary exhibition that matches your interests.

The museum, also called 'Boat of the Canal' (运河之舟), is one of the 'Three Major Buildings' (北京城市副中心三大建筑) of Beijing's Municipal Sub-center. It was built by the Beijing Municipal Sub-center Investment Construction Group (北京城市副中心投资建设集团有限公司) and constructed by the Beijing Urban Construction Group (北京城建集团有限责任公司); construction began in late October 2019, and the museum was completed and opened to the public on 27 December 2023.

The building has a total floor area of about 97,000 square meters. Its design draws on the imagery of boat, sail, and water from historic canal scenes: the south side is shaped like a raised sail, while the north side is solid and heavy, evoking a boat, so that the structure as a whole depicts a scene from the canal.

The museum is designed to combine collection and storage, open-style exhibition, research, public education, and the preservation and restoration of cultural relics; it has expanded the proportion of its galleries that are open-plan, a change intended to increase visitor participation in the exhibits.

What to look for

• Beijing-and-canal history interpretation: connect the waterway with the city’s development and everyday life.
• The cultural-building cluster: compare the museum’s setting with the adjacent library and performing-arts center.

Location & getting there

Getting to Beijing Grand Canal Museum

The museum is northwest of Central Green Forest Park in Tongzhou, beside Beijing Library and Beijing Performing Arts Center.

• Use Beijing Grand Canal Museum or Capital Museum East Branch as the exact destination; the similarly named China Grand Canal Museum is in Yangzhou.