The refurbished Capital Museum, which re-opened on December 19, is now located at 16 Fuxingmenwai Road in west Beijing. Formerly housed in the Confucius Temple on Guozijian Road, the museum pays tribute to Beijing life in bygone eras.

At a cost of 1.23 billion yuan (US$147 million), the new venue can accommodate 2,000 visitors daily.

With a floor area of more than 60,000 square meters, Capital Museum is second only to the National Museum of China in terms of size. To see all the exhibitions in the new museum, it would take at least four or five hours.

There are 5,622 items on display, almost 10 times the number of exhibits displayed at the old venue.

Construction on the new museum started four years ago. The Beijing municipal government decided that a bigger venue was necessary to put on display more of the museum's 200,000 relics.

To make visits more convenient for foreign visitors, English and Japanese services are available. Other languages will be added in the future.

A multi-purpose hall can be booked for meetings and functions, and there are plans to use it for academic lectures, seminars or movies for the public. The hall is equipped with presentation facilities including other services such as a multi-language interpreter service.

The new museum also features a cultural and museum activity area for the public. Planned activities include pottery making, a presentation showing how relics are repaired and preserved, Chinese ink rubbing, and face-painting Peking Opera style. 

In the interactive multimedia hall, visitors can look forward to "The Treasure of the Capital Museum" and "A Look at Beijing".

"The Treasure of the Capital Museum" provides high-definition photos of cultural relics.

"A Look at Beijing" features archive pictures of Beijing, historical sites, dramas and operas, and traditional folk art.

A digital movie hall opens its doors at 09:05 AM, with presentations every half hour. Designed much like an omni theater, the arc-shaped screen presents a viewing angle of 120 degrees.

Further Information:

Opening hours: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM

Address: 16 Fuxingmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District, Beijing

Information: 8610-6337 0491 or 8610-6337 0492

Price: 20 yuan (US$2.5)

Website: www.capitalmuseum.org.cn/en/

Email: bjmuseum@126.com

(China.org.cn March 6, 2006)