PLACE GUIDE

Nanjing Museum 南京博物院

Nanjing Bowuyuan

Nanjing Museum combines a historic museum building with several major exhibition sections.

Nanjing Museum, photographed in December 2022.
Nanjing Museum, photographed in December 2022. · 西安兵马俑 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo adjustments

Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.

Explore the region

Jiangsu · 江苏省 →Nanjing · 南京市 →

About Nanjing Museum

Its architecture brings a traditional roofed front together with a more modern building arrangement.

The historical galleries cover Jiangsu from prehistory through the Qing, while other sections address art, the Republican period and intangible heritage. Jade burial material, ceramics and regional crafts give concrete subjects around which to plan a visit. Select two or three themes that interest you and consult the current gallery map instead of trying to treat the museum as one undivided collection.

Nanjing Museum grew out of the preparatory office for the National Central Museum (国立中央博物院), established in 1933 by the Nationalist government's Ministry of Education (国民政府教育部); the preparatory office moved to Taiwan in 1949. Construction of the main hall began in 1936. The first phase was completed in 1948, and the building was completed as the museum's History Exhibition Hall (历史陈列馆) in 1952.

Jiangsu Provincial Museum (江苏省博物馆) merged into the institution in March 1959. The main hall was designed by Xu Jingzhi (徐敬直) and Li Huibo (李惠伯), with Liang Sicheng (梁思成) and Liu Dunzhen (刘敦桢) as consultants, in a style imitating Liao-dynasty architecture. The main hall, terrace and side halls have a combined building area of 23,000 square metres. The hall stands on a three-tiered white stone platform with Purple Mountain (紫金山) visible behind it.

An Art Hall (艺术馆) in the same style, opened in September 1999, holds eleven themed galleries across 12,600 square metres. Nanjing Museum is a national first-class museum (国家一级博物馆). Its collection totals more than 430,000 items, including 1,062 pieces classed as national treasures or first-class national relics.

What to look for

  • The main building combines Chinese roof forms with modern museum construction.
  • Historical and art displays include burial material, bronzes and ceramics.
  • Jiangsu craft interpretation includes traditions such as cloud brocade and paper-cutting.

The surrounding area

The provincial capital suits museums and major historical sites; reserve time for different districts instead of treating it as one walking circuit.

Location & getting there

Getting to Nanjing Museum

Approach 321 Zhongshan East Road near Zhongshan Gate. Minggugong station is the named nearby rail reference in the travel source.

General visit reminders

Choose the building, exhibition or part of the historic area you most want to see, then leave time to explore its setting. Check the venue’s current opening and reservation arrangements directly; a place appearing on the map does not mean every building or gallery is accessible on your travel date.

Combine your visit

A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.

  1. Historical Exhibition Hall

    Start with the regional chronological story.

  2. Art Exhibition Hall

    Compare objects through artistic forms and materials.

  3. Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall

    Finish with the region’s living craft traditions.

This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.

AI illustration: AI illustration: paper cut; general detail, not an actual photograph.
AI illustration · AI 示意图（景观类型参考，非实拍） · 剪纸窗花细节 — A general visiting detail, not an exact view of this place.
Museums, art & science · 博物馆／艺术科技 →

Find Nanjing Museum

南京博物院 · 南京市

Amap · 高德地图Approximate pin · 近似位置Apple Maps · 苹果地图

The pin marks the area, not the entrance.

More places nearby

Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.

Presidential Palace (Nanjing) 南京总统府

3 km away

Nanjing’s Presidential Palace is a layered political complex on Changjiang Road. It housed the office of the Republic of China’s president during the period when the government was based in Nanjing.

View guide →

Ming Xiaoling 明孝陵

3 km away

Ming Xiaoling is the mausoleum of the Hongwu emperor, founder of the Ming dynasty. It lies at the southern foot of Purple Mountain, where its processional route and burial precinct form a major imperial landscape.

View guide →

Jiming Temple 鸡鸣寺

4 km away

Jiming Temple rises on Jilong Hill beside the southern shore of Xuanwu Lake. Its present ensemble includes substantial modern reconstruction, including the seven-storey, eight-sided Medicine Buddha Pagoda. The Guanyin Hall is…

View guide →

Sources & visit information

The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Nanjing Museum” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1356151480.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors, listing “Nanjing Museum” · CC BY-SA 4.0.

Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "南京博物院", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94276692.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-10-07