Beijing Art Museum

Beijing Art Museum is located in Wanshou Temple (the Temple of Longevity). Wanshou Temple was built in 1577 under the reign of Wanli Emperor of the Ming dynasty to store Buddhist scriptures in Chinese. It gradually became a temporary imperial dwelling and a place of birthday celebration for the imperial family during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The People's Government of Beijing Municipal City declared Wanshou Temple one of the city's "Key Cultural Heritage of Preservation" in August 1979. Having a reputation for "Mini-Forbidden-City in West Beijing", the construction of Temple consists of eastern, middle and western sections. Up till now, only the middle and the western sections remain well preserved.

Founded in April 1985, Beijing Art Museum has collected and preserved the precious historical relics such as bronze and jade articles of Shang and Zhou Dynasties (17th-3th centuries B.C), and the ancient art treasures as potteries, porcelains, enamels, carved lacquer ware, ivory carving, wood carving, etc of the past dynasties.

Among them, we have mainly the valuable Chinese paintings and calligraphies of Ming and Qing Dynasties since 1368 A.D, especially the Chinese paintings within one hundred years, weavings and embroideries of Ming and Qing Dynasties, ancient coins of China and foreign countries, the modern Chinese and Japanese arts and crafts and paintings as our major characteristics.

Major Exhibitions:

History of Wanshou Temple: This exhibition reveals how Wanshou Temple, through continuous reconstruction and renovation since the Ming and Qing dynasties, has evolved into a perfect blend of imperial grandeur and an art sanctuary.

Buddhist Statue Art Exhibition: Featuring a collection of precious Buddhist statues, this exhibition showcases the profound and solemn nature of Buddhist art, allowing visitors to experience its depth and reverence in a serene atmosphere.