Nanjing Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Nanjing Museum
南京博物院

Established	1933
Location	Nanjing, China
Type	History museum, art museum
Collection size	400,000
Public transit access	Minggugong station 2

The Nanjing Museum (Chinese: 南京博物院; pinyin: Nánjīng Bówùyuàn) is a super cool place in Nanjing, a big city in East China. Nanjing is the capital of a region called Jiangsu. It's one of the biggest museums in all of China, covering a huge area – about 70,000 square meters! Inside, you'll find over 400,000 amazing things, like ancient treasures and beautiful art. The museum is especially famous for its massive collection of fancy porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties. These were old Chinese empires, and the museum has one of the largest collections of their royal pottery anywhere!

Discovering the Past: The Museum's Story
Amazing Architecture: The Museum Buildings
Exploring the Halls: What You Can See
Gallery
See also

Discovering the Past: The Museum's Story

The Nanjing Museum has a long and interesting history. It was one of the very first museums ever created in China! It started in 1933 as a special department to prepare for a big national museum. The museum was built on a large piece of land in the Half Hill Garden.

Early Plans and Challenges

A famous leader named Cai Yuanpei had a big idea for the museum. He wanted to build three main halls: one for "Humanity" (people's history), one for "Craft" (things people made), and one for "Nature" (the natural world). But China faced many challenges in the 1930s, so only the Humanity Hall was finished.

Protecting Treasures During Wartime

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, when Japan invaded China, parts of the museum's collections had to be moved to safety. They traveled to Southwest China to keep them from harm. Later, some of these treasures ended up in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Important Leaders and Growth

Many important people helped shape the Nanjing Museum. Historians like Fu Sinian and archaeologists like Li Ji were early leaders. Zeng Zhaoyu, an archaeologist and museum expert, was the first woman to lead the museum. She was also one of its founders! The museum has grown over the years, with new parts added in 1999 and 2009.

Amazing Architecture: The Museum Buildings

Detail of the entrance gate

The main building of the Nanjing Museum is a sight to see! It was designed in the 1930s by a famous architect named Liang Sicheng. He mixed traditional Chinese styles with Western ideas. The front of the building looks very Chinese, with a beautiful golden tiled roof. But the back part has a flat roof, which was more common in Western buildings at the time. In the 1990s, an art hall was added to the west side. It also has a classic Chinese look, reminding visitors of early 20th-century architecture.

Exploring the Halls: What You Can See

The Nanjing Museum has twelve different exhibition halls, each filled with incredible artifacts. One of the most amazing things you can see is a full-size suit of armor. It's not made of metal, but from tiny jade tiles! These small jade pieces are held together with silver wire, making a truly unique and precious armor.

Here are some of the exciting halls you can explore:

Qin Garden
Earthen Ware Hall (Pottery and clay items)
Treasure Hall
Folk Art Hall (Art from everyday people)
Bronze Ware Hall
Ming and Qing Porcelain Hall (Fancy pottery from old empires)
Wu Weishan Sculpture Hall
Ancient Paintings Hall
Modern Art Hall
Jiangnan Silk Product Hall (Beautiful silk items)
Jade Hall
Lacquer Hall (Items made with shiny lacquer)

Gallery

Famous Paintings

Giant Bamboos and Stones by Li Kan (1245–1320), from the 13th century
A Ming portrait of the official Jiang Shunfu, from the late 15th century
Watching the Spring and Listening to the Wind by Tang Yin (1470–1524), from the early 16th century
Camellia and a Lonely Bird by Zhou Shuxi (1624–1705)
Fisherman and Fisherwoman by Huang Shen (1687–1772)
Four Beauties by Ni Tian (1855–1919)

Beautiful Lacquerware

A red-and-black rectangular lacquerware box from the Western Han period (202 BC - 9 AD)
A black lacquerware plate from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
A red lacquered bowl from the Ming Dynasty
A pair of Ming Dynasty black lacquerware plates with mother-of-pearl designs showing home scenes
A red lacquerware box with the Chinese character for "spring" on the front, from the Qianlong Emperor's time (1736–1795)
A red lacquerware plate, also from the Qianlong Emperor's time

Ancient Ceramics

A celadon ceramic jar from the Western Jin Dynasty (265–316 AD) with figures, animals, and buildings
A porcelain box with a flower design from the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD)
A porcelain dish from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD), from the time of the Hongwu Emperor (1368–1398 AD)
A blue-and-white porcelain vase from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Yongle Emperor (1402–1424 AD)
A blue-and-white porcelain dish from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Xuande Emperor (1425–1435 AD)
A blue-and-white porcelain ding vessel from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Xuande Emperor (1425–1435 AD)
A porcelain vase from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Zhengde Emperor (1505–1521 AD)
A blue-and-white porcelain dish from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Jiajing Emperor (1521–1567 AD)
A porcelain bowl from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Wanli Emperor (1572–1620 AD)
A blue-and-white porcelain vase from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Wanli Emperor (1572–1620 AD)
A blue-and-white porcelain box from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Wanli Emperor (1572–1620 AD)
A blue-and-white porcelain bowl from the Ming Dynasty, from the time of the Chongzhen Emperor (1627–1644 AD)