Beijing museums draw millions with summer exhibitions

Beijing's museums are drawing millions of visitors this summer through major renovations and special exhibitions.

The city now has 246 registered museums and 56 similar institutions, the highest number among Chinese cities. Over the past year, Beijing's museums launched more than 2,000 exhibitions, attracting approximately 100 million visitors.

Both national and smaller museums are enhancing their offerings to attract visitors of all ages. The Natural History Museum of China has seen a surge in summer visitors due to its special exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci, featuring authentic works, unfinished paintings, digital reproductions and reconstructed artifacts based on his manuscripts.

"This is our first cross-disciplinary exhibition that integrates natural science and art through social collaboration," said Wan Shilin, the museum's Party secretary. "Since the exhibition opened in June, visitor numbers have exceeded 150,000, far surpassing our expectations."

The museum is also expanding its programming. Its signature event, "Museum Night," was extended from one week to one month, featuring 25 evening events that attracted 43,000 visitors and provided 75 hours of extended service.

Smaller museums are also upgrading their offerings. After over a decade of renovations, the Beijing Dabaotai Site Museum reopened in May with two major exhibitions, showcasing original displays of golden bronze pieces. Despite its size, it welcomed nearly 130,000 guests in just over three months.

Beijing's museums are currently celebrating the 2025 Museum Season with themed educational tours designed to engage the public with history. As part of broader cultural expansion efforts, the city has opened several major museums and is working to expand university museum services while encouraging private collectors to make their collections publicly accessible.