We’re happy to report that another of Beijing’s cultural sites is once again open to the public: the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC). We’re doubly happy to report that they’re also allowing foreigners, unlike the National Museum of China and the Capital Museum, both of which reopened just prior to May Day holiday, but due to an oversight with the reservation systems only allowed Chinese nationals to make reservations.
The Dongsi-adjacent museum returns to its regular hours – 9am-5pm (4pm last entry), Tuesday through Sunday – but with an additional hour of closure between 1-2pm for sterilization. They will also observe the usual restrictions on the number of daily visitors and thus require booking ahead via their online registration system for either morning (9am-midday; 300 slots) or afternoon (2-4pm; 200 slots). You will also need to present your valid ID and health kit app upon entry and wear a mask at all times. Otherwise, it’s completely free.
Last year, the museum hosted works by famed French photographer Bruno Barbey, former global chairman of Magnum Photos
Despite its programming occasionally being hijacked for more nationalistic purposes, NAMOC remains one of the best state-run museums in the country. Its bimonthly rotating exhibitions usually highlight masters in the Chinese cannon while its permanent collections focus on Chinese traditional and folk arts (including kites, toys, and puppets), as well as the occasional foreign artist. For more info about the museum’s current exhibitions, click here.
NAMOC is big, so we don’t recommend trying to see the whole thing in one day, especially if you are with very small children, but as it’s free you can take it in bite-sized chunks, and come back as often as you like. Engage older children by asking them to describe the feelings and colors that they spot in various artworks, and play color bingo with little ones: asking them to find 5 artworks with blue in them, 5 with red, and so on. Once you’re all done, you can even cap it all off with a family meal at Jing-A Taproom in the nearby Longfusu complex.
Currently, slots remain through this week but availability over the weekend is already filling up fast. For details on how to register and book (in Chinese), visit NAMOC’s official website here.
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A version of this article originally appeared on our sister site, the Beijinger
Images: CGTN, NAMOC, China Daily
