Nanjing Municipal Museum
Republican-era history in a restored heritage building
No. 4 Chaotian Palace, Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
The Nanjing Municipal Museum (Nanjing Shi Bowuguan, also known as the Old Government Hall Museum) is a focused municipal museum housed in a beautifully restored Republican-era building complex that chronicles Nanjing's modern history, with particular emphasis on the city's role as China's capital during the Republic of China period (1912–1949). While smaller than the Nanjing Museum, it offers a more intimate and architecturally distinctive experience, with the heritage buildings themselves forming part of the story.
Admission is free. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. It is closed on Mondays.
Details
Exhibitions
The museum's galleries cover Nanjing's development from the late Qing Dynasty through the Republican period and into the modern era. Photographs, documents, maps, personal effects, and period objects trace the city's tumultuous 20th century history — from the fall of the Qing to the founding of the Republic, through the Japanese occupation, and into the post-1949 period. The exhibitions are particularly strong on Republican-era Nanjing, documenting the city's brief flourishing as a modern national capital with its distinctive architecture, cultural institutions, and political significance.
The Building
The museum occupies a restored Republican-era government building, and the architecture — Western-influenced facades, high ceilings, wooden floors, and period decorative details — is itself an exhibit. The building's restoration preserves the aesthetic of Republican-era Nanjing's institutional architecture, providing a fitting setting for the history it contains.
Getting There
Address: No. 4 Chaotian Palace, Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
The museum is in the Qinhuai District. **Sanshanjie Station** on Line 1 is the nearest subway stop, within walking distance. The museum can be combined with visits to the Fuzimiao district, Chaotian Palace, and the city wall.
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Nanjing Municipal Museum