6 fascinating museums for getting to know Beijing better

Get to know the ins and outs of our brilliant city

It'll come as no surprise that Beijing is full of historical interest. So what better way to soak up the history and culture of our fair city than by heading to one of the capital's enlightening eponymous museums?

Capital Museum

The Capital Museum tells the story of Beijing from when it was a few mere rice paddies right up until the founding of the People’s Republic, and tells it well. The chronological order of the artefacts on the first floor – laid out in a huge timeline – helps visitors understand the narrative of this great city we call home, while upstairs the 'Exhibition on Folk Customs' adds some colour, with lifelike figures set in traditional scenes adorned with bright, festive clothing.

Don’t miss Climb to the top floor and walk down the spiral walkway to see jade, porcelain, traditional watercolours and calligraphy.

Estimated time One hour.

English provisions All exhibits have English labels, though descriptions are limited.

Beijing Opera Museum

The mighty 200-year-old Huguang Guild Hall is the site of this museum, dedicated to one of the capital’s greatest cultural exports – the shrill and spectacular Peking opera. Inside the hall is the museum itself, a small but busy room that documents the history of both the building and the artform through photographs, newspaper clippings, and costumes. But the main event is the actual theatre, a stunning space that to this day continues to stage opera performances.

Don’t miss The rather beautiful theatre itself – plan your visit around the performance schedule (6.30-7.30pm daily; tickets from 150RMB).

Estimated time 30 minutes.

English provisions Captions limited; shows are in Chinese but have short translations between acts.

Beijing Police Museum

Nothing to do with Sting, this is actually a masterclass in subtle agitprop, full of pictures of smiling coppers saving lives. The museum gives a full history of the city’s police from the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) to the present day, using old uniforms, official papers and so on. Some halls document more prosaic aspects, such as dog registration and vehicle licence plates – including plates for horse-drawn carts as late as the 1980s.

Don’t miss The many weapons and firearms, including gold-plated pistols.

Estimated time One to two hours.

Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall

One of Beijing's heavy-hitters in the museum world, the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall boasts two unexpected features: it's much more interesting than its name suggests, and it's pretty poorly planned. Don’t let the lack of clear navigation around the building put you off, though; wherever you find yourself, you're likely to find an interesting tidbit of history about our fair city, from its ancient demarcation to more recent infrastructural innovations. There are also plenty of scaled-down model Beijings to gawp at, and you can perhaps even find the spot where you live now.

Don’t miss The gigantic model Beijing on the third floor (get the bird’s eye view from the fourth).

Estimated time One-and-a-half hours.

English provisions English headers and labels, but limited descriptions. No audio guides.

Shijia Hutong Museum

Beijing's hutongs have continually evolved (and at worst disappeared) in face of the city's rapid and unrelenting growth, though this museum, halfway down the eponymous tree-lined alley, documents the ways of hutong living back in the good old days. Exhibits including a mockup family home from the mid-20th century, and a 'Sounds of the Hutong' audio experience that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a bygone era. A celebration of the city's traditional single-storey dwellings. Thankfully, it hasn't been bricked up…yet.

Don’t miss The big-ature model of the sprawling hutongs in the days of yore.

Estimated time 45 minutes.

English provisions Decent if not comprehensive translations.

Red Star Erguotou Museum

The Red Star Erguotou Museum – way up in Huairou district – is worth the journey. Incredibly clean and well-maintained, the entire complex is a factory that's still used to distil vats and vats of Erguotou – a brand of the throat-burning clear spirit, baijiu. At the entrance a (Mandarin-speaking) guide greets you and takes you on a journey through Erguotou’s brewing process and extensive history, and even allows you to sample a bit (if you can handle it). There is also, inexplicably, a kids' funhouse.

Don’t miss An obscure collection of 1950s photographs of Mao Zedong.

Estimated time Guided tours last 30 mins.

English provisions None.

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