Great visit to Nanjing museum

Fantastic and enormous museum—free, but tickets must be reserved on WeChat well in advance (ideally 7 days, they sell out fast). Bring your passport. Very little English signage, so a translator app is essential.
Three main buildings:
1. North Building – six superb galleries tracing Jiangsu’s history from dinosaurs and prehistory through the Qing. This is the museum’s highlight.
2. West Building – mostly 20th-century art (skippable), but the basement recreates a Republican-era Nanjing street where every storefront functions as a real shop. It’s commercialized and theme-park-like, yet atmospheric and fun, even featuring a small theater with live shows and English subtitles.
3. Northwest Building – about fifteen temporary galleries; the main floor hosts major exhibitions (in Oct 2025 a vast Persian art show), while upper floors display Ming-Qing artifacts from the old Republican collection. There’s a café and terrace on top.

Post by Chiapaneco | Oct 31, 2025