National Museum of China

The National Museum of China is on the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, and is one of the leading Museums in China.

The museum’s mission is to provide education about the arts and history of China. It is one of the largest museums in the world.

A Virtual Tour of the National Museum of China

• The Jade Burial Suit
• Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang
• Houmuwu Ding

Highlights of the National Museum of China

The Jade Burial Suit

The Jade Burial Suit is a ceremonial suit made of pieces of jade in which royal members from the Han dynasty China were buried. This Jade shroud was for Liu Xiu, King of Zhongshan.

The pieces of jade are mostly rectangular or square and joined using gold wire threaded through small holes drilled near the corners of each piece.

The type of wire used was dependent on the status of the person buried.

The jade burial suits of emperors used gold thread; princes, princesses, dukes, and marquises, silver thread; sons or daughters of those given silver thread, copper thread; and lesser aristocrats, silk thread, with all others being forbidden to be buried in jade burial suits.

Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang

“The Portraits of Periodical Offering” is an official historical print with the portraits of ambassadors to the imperial court of China lined up to pay tribute with gifts.

The Chinese phrase roughly translated to “duty offering pictorial.” The description of each ambassador is set at the back of the figures. 

Throughout Chinese history, kingdoms and tribes conquered by Chinese forces were required to send ambassadors to the imperial court of China.

This print with descriptions was used to record the expression of these ambassadors and to show the cultural aspects of the ethnic group represented in the drawing.

These historical descriptions became the equivalent of documents of diplomatic relations with each country. The illustrations were reproduced in woodblock printing and distributed among the bureaucracy in albums.

Houmuwu Ding

“The Houmuwu Ding” is a massive bronze sacrificial vessel from 3,000 years ago. The term “Ding” refers to a sacrificial vessel, and this one is a common type of Chinese ritual bronzes of the ancient Chinese Shang dynasty.

It is the most significant piece of bronze work found anywhere in the ancient world. This Ding’s name is based on the inscription in the bronze interior wall, which reads Hòumǔwù, meaning “Queen Mother Wu.”