A bird's-eye view of the National Museum of China.

The National Museum of China (NMC) is the supreme historical, cultural and artistic institution dedicated to collecting, researching, exhibiting and interpreting representative artifacts of Chinese civilization. It undertakes the important mission of protecting, preserving and promoting the nation's historical legacy, and plays a significant role in promoting mutual learning among civilizations.

In recent years, the NMC has strived to protect, inherit and showcase the outstanding achievements of Chinese civilization. Through exceptional cultural offerings and thoughtfully curated public services, it enables visitors to gain profound insights into both Chinese and global civilizations.

Protecting China's history

Cultural relics are vital carriers of the Chinese nation's historical memory and civilizational heritage. Protecting these relics is not only one of the museums' most fundamental functions but also the prerequisite and foundation for all its work.

The NMC currently houses over 1.43 million pieces (sets) of artifacts, forming a systematic and comprehensive collection with diverse materials and forms. These invaluable pieces fully attest to China's 1 million years of human history, 10,000 years of cultural history, and more than 5,000 years of continuous civilization, highlighting the distinctive continuity, creativity, unity, inclusiveness and peacefulness of Chinese civilization.

To safeguard these precious collections, the NMC has continuously increased investment in relic conservation and academic research while deepening interdisciplinary and cross-domain collaboration. Today, it has established a leading modern conservation team in China that integrates artifact testing, research, protection, restoration and replication technologies.