The National Museum of China is located on the east side of Tiananmen Square, in the heart of Beijing. With a total of 200,000 square meters and 48 exhibition halls, it is the world’s largest museum housed in a single building, and it is home to the largest collection of Chinese cultural relics in a single museum, with over 1 million pieces in its permanent collection.

This book includes a selection of the finest artifacts housed in The National Museum of China over the past century. These cultural relics include China’s best bronzeware, Buddhist statues, porcelain, furniture and lacquerware, jade, coins, gold and silver items, stone carvings, silk fabrics, ancient texts, and other items rooted in China’s long history, all laid out in chronological order to provide a convenient overview. This text leads the reader to meander along the long river of history and gain a thorough understanding of a civilization that has prospered for over five thousand years, the ancient East Asian country of China.

About the Author
Lü Zhangshen is Director of the National Museum of China. Born in 1955, Lü studied in the Department of Architecture at Tsinghua University (1977–1980). In December 1980, he was assigned to the Ministry of Culture. From June 1992 to April 2000, he was Deputy Director of the National Art Museum of China. Since September 2005, he has been the Director of the National Museum of China. Apart from being a senior architect, he is Honorary Director of the Chinese Museum Association, Vice Chairman of the China International Culture Association.