Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
about 21 hours ago
Located in Indianola, Mississippi, Club Ebony hosted performances by blues legends like B.B. King.
How Club Ebony Helped Keep the Blues Alive in the Jim Crow South
about 21 hours ago
Spot Gentoos and other species of penguins waddling, swimming, and diving from icebergs.
Adventure at Sea: An Explorer’s Guide to Antarctica
1 day ago
Our journey begins in Texas—more specifically in Big Bend National Park.
The Atlas Obscura (Audio) Guide to the National Parks
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All China Beijing Beijing Capital Museum

Beijing Capital Museum

Home to over 200,000 artifacts, this museum attempts to guide visitors through the ancient history of Beijing and Imperial China.

Beijing, China

Added By
Rob Rubsam
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Ming Dynasty-era Vase   drnan tu at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/people/drnantu/
Ming Dynasty-era Vase   drnan tu at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/people/drnantu/
Capital Museum Exterior   PENG Yanan at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Capital_Museum_in_Beijing.jpg
The oval galleries thrust up through building.   IvanWalsh.com on Flickr
Some of the ancient art at the museum.   IvanWalsh.com on Flickr
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Despite its downright futuristic exterior, the Beijing Capitol Museum allows visitors to take a free stroll through the ancient history of Beijing and Imperial China.

Housed before 2006 at the actual Confucius Temple in Beijing, the collection of the Beijing Capital Museum includes ancient Chinaware, jade statues, paintings, and numerous likenesses of the Buddha.  Of the over 200,000 piece collection, only around 5,600 pieces are on permanent display, with the rest being stored out of sight of visitors.

These viewable pieces are displayed in a six-story building which is modern in design, but ancient in architectural origin.  An overhanging roof imitates the imperial Chinese architectural style, a decorative Ming Dynasty-era arch is embedded into the entrance hall, and stones used in the floor construction were even quarried in the town of Fangshan, an ancient supplier of building material.  The first five floors are composed of a rectangular and oval hall, each showcasing different works of archeology and art.  The sixth floor contains only the oval gallery, which is raised above the museum’s wide, flat roof.

The Beijing Capital Museum celebrates the long arc of Chinese and East Asian history, with an emphasis on the region's rich, artful culture.  And thanks to its vast collection, the museum routinely swaps out the contents of several halls for new pieces from the archives, guaranteeing a new experience for returning travelers. 

Related Tags

Architecture Museums Collections Museums And Collections Architectural Oddities

Community Contributors

Added By

Rob

Edited By

Rachel

  • Rachel

Published

September 17, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.capitalmuseum.org.cn/en/
  • http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294212-d605769-Reviews-Beijing_Capital_Museum-Beijing.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_Museum
Beijing Capital Museum
16号 Fuxingmen Outer Street
Beijing
China
39.907191, 116.34348
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

White Cloud Temple

Beijing, China

miles away

Paleozoological Museum of China

Beijing, China

miles away

Guo Li Zhuang

Beijing, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Beijing

Beijing

China

Places 24
Stories 3

Nearby Places

White Cloud Temple

Beijing, China

miles away

Paleozoological Museum of China

Beijing, China

miles away

Guo Li Zhuang

Beijing, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Beijing

Beijing

China

Places 24
Stories 3

Related Places

  • The Moxie Bottle House is the centerpiece of the Matthews Museum’s Moxie collection

    Union, Maine

    Moxie Bottle House

    They call buildings like this "mimetic architecture," but nothing has ever mimicked the taste of Moxie.

  • Pickle Barrel House, 2015

    Grand Marais, Michigan

    Pickle Barrel House

    This little barrel-shaped cottage by Lake Superior was once a cartoonist's summer retreat.

  • The vaulted gallery of plaster models.

    Possagno, Italy

    Museo Canova

    The home of a neoclassical master is now a shrine to his chosen art style.

  • Queens, New York

    The Noguchi Museum

    A self-made museum in Queens, New York continues to display the work of a sculptor known for paving his own way.

  • (Flickr/Juan Barrios)

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Soumaya Museum

    66,000 pieces of art, donated by one of the world's richest men.

  • (Gnurou/Flickr)

    Hakone, Japan

    Hakone Open-Air Museum

    Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

  • Entrance sign. (Wikimedia Commons)

    Mount Angel, Oregon

    Mount Angel Abbey Museum

    World's largest porcine hairball sits in a collection maintained by Benedictine monks.

  • Icon of St. George from the collection.

    Ordino, Andorra

    St. George Icon Museum

    Extensive Orthodox icon collection in Andorra.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.