Beijing, an ancient city with 17 million inhabitants, is China’s political capital and is second to Shanghai in terms of population. To facilitate the inflow and outflow of its citizens, visitors and the goods they produce, the city has several motorways, railways, seaports and a modern airport. Due to these improvements, the city has become more accessible to citizens from around the world.
This ancient city never fails to amaze the eyes of a traveler since many significant tourist attractions dot its landscape. One cannot help but be inspired by how old-world buildings coexist side-by-side with modern structures. What’s even better is that many Beijing hotels can be found within walking distances from these landmarks, helping visitors save time by visiting a number of spots in a day.
Chinese life sits side-by-side with their culture. This is the reason why a number of museums have been dedicated to the preservation of this unique characteristic. The Capital Museum, which opened in 1981 and renovated in 2007, is one of the biggest and more interesting. It now houses over 200,000 relics in its collection.
The museum’s exterior is based on human and cultural heritage and takes into account the incorporation of the past and the present, history and nature, art and modernism. Traditional Chinese architectural styles are shown in the immense roof and the slope at the entrance. The city walls of ancient China are also likened to the stone exterior. Bronze, timber and stones are scattered throughout the museum to represent a deeper sense of historicity. Also, a glass curtain wall, which gives an imposing and transparent effect, reflects a touch of modernism.
There are three permanent exhibitions in the museum. The first, entitled “Ancient Capital: Chapter on the History and Culture of Beijing″ shows the intricacies of art, dance, architecture, trade, commerce and transportation of the early Chinese when ruled by the emperor.
The second exhibition, entitled “Ancient Capital: Urban Construction,” stresses the embrace of the new world order by the Chinese, highlights their urbanization and the adoption of new-age technologies which brought the nation to its present state.
The last exhibition, called “Stories of the Capital City – Old Beijing Folk-customs,” shows the belief of the Chinese in a Supreme Being, their perception on luck and on how folkways and folklores were vital in their early lives.
Aside from these exhibitions, the museum also functions as a reception hall, cultural heritage storehouse, conference hall, and a digital movie hall where a super wide screen with the latest technology are installed to display high-definition films. For tourists, they can coordinate with their travel agency or any hotels in Beijing to purchase tickets so as not to miss this chance of a lifetime.
E. Larson is a long-time expatriate in Beijing, China. He works closely with the Jiangxi Grand Hotel Beijing and many other hotels in Beijing. Go to his website on the Jiangxi Grand Hotel Beijing here.
Tags: art, asia, beijing, china, culture, Hotel, Hotels, museum, Travel, vacation