48.Museums and Monuments
|
|
Culture
Museums and Monuments
Beijing has a wonderful variety of museums
and monuments which give visitors insight into Chinese culture and
history. There is something for every taste and interest.
Running along the eastern side of
Tiananmen Square is the National Museum of China which incorporates the
Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution.
In the center of Tiananmen Square is the
enormous Monument to the Peoples’ Heroes and on the square’s south side
is the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao featuring the crystal coffin
containing the former Chairman.
Located in the stunning buildings of the
Forbidden City palace complex is the Palace Museum, housing in several
enormous halls an awesome collection of treasures from the days of
China’s imperial dynasties.
The China Century Monument was created to
celebrate the arrival of the 21st century. Covering 11 acres in Hai
Dian District, it includes the China People’s Revolution Military
Museum, the Beijing World Art Museum, the Holy Fire Square and the
Bronze Thoroughfare.
Pillar at Mao Tse-tung mausoleum.
Many cultural performances are held on
the revolving platform of the China Century Monument’s main building.
The carved relief patterns on the platform represent 56 ethnic groups
within the republic of China, while the 40 bronze statues in the
cloisters are of Chinese celebrities.
Visitors can gain an overview of China’s
5,000 year history by viewing the massive colorful mural carved in
relief, 16 feet high and 394 feet long, in the Great Century Hall of the
World Art Museum.
Holy Fire Square is a dramatic
installation with two springs, representing the Yangtze and Yellow
Rivers, flowing down the stairs of the platform. The 960 pieces of
granite that make up the square symbolize the 9,600,000 square kilometer
area of China. Extending 886 feet from Holy Fire Square is the Bronze
Thoroughfare which records in 180,000 characters the evolution of human
history and key Chinese historical events.
For a greater understanding of the 56
ethnic groups that make up the Republic of China, visitors have a
choice. The Ethnic Museum, in the Central University for Nationalities
in Haidian District, houses diverse collections of ethnic costumes, art,
handicrafts, porcelain and calligraphy and also includes items from the
Paleolithic and Neolithic ages. The Chinese Ethnic Museum in Beijing,
opposite the west door of the National Olympic Sports Center in
Chaoyang, hosts many ethnic cultural performances and has an
extraordinary display of life-size buildings from various ethnic groups
around China, with over 36 national villages in the North and South
Gardens. This museum contains the largest cast iron sculpture in China
in Sculpture Square.
Communist stone statuesat Tiananmen Square.
For an introduction to Chinese arts and
crafts visitors can take in the striking exhibits of embroidery,
bronzeware, porcelain, jade and ivory carving, cloisonné, lacquerware
and calligraphy, at the Beijing Arts and Crafts Museum on the fourth
floor of the Gongmei Emporium in Dongcheng District. Contemporary
Chinese arts and crafts are displayed at the National Arts and Crafts
Museum on the fifth floor Parkson Department Store.
The Great Wall Museum of China in Yanqing
County near the Great Wall at Badaling gives insight into the history
of this remarkable monument, including construction techniques, famous
battles, and modern reconstruction.
Other fascinating museums include the
Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum affiliated to Beijing University,
the China Printing Museum in Huangcun Town, Daxing County, which has
many displays explaining the invention and development of printing, and
the China Currency Museum, on the west side of Tiananmen Square, which
contains collections of ancient, contemporary and foreign currencies.
Komentar
Posting Komentar