The Beijing Capital Museum is an integrated and topographic museum in Beijing, China. The planning for the museum began in 1953 and it officially opened to the public on October 1st, 1981. In 2005, the museum moved from its original location—the Beijing Temple of Confucius (an important and protected cultural heritage site of China)—to a new location and officially opened on May 18th, 2006.

Since its opening on October 1st, 1981, the Capital Museum has been active in its exhibitions, collections, scientific research, society education and others, becoming an important window of cultural exchange in Beijing. The museum has held hundreds of exhibitions and completed massive social science research studies as well as nurtured countless talented curators. On December 16th, 2005, the museum was relocated to its new facilities with a total architectural area of 63800 square meters and an exhibition area of 25000 square meters. From the time of its relocation to today, the museum has been visited by more than one million people every year.

The Capital Museum is an example of modern architecture incorporating classic elements and was awarded the highest recognition in architecture in 2006—the Luban Award. In 2008, the Capital Museum, “National Stadium” (Bird’s Nest), “National Aquatics Center” (Water Cube) and others were collectively recognized as the “New Ten Great Buildings of Beijing.”

The Capital Museum houses artifacts and heritage that have been found or were created in Beijing, as well as historical collectibles. To date, the museum has acquired over 200,000 pieces in total. These historical and cultural art pieces are only exhibited in Beijing and thus the museum has become the one of the most important public cultural spaces in Beijing. In 2008, the Capital Museum was recognized as a 4A tourist destination spot (with 5A being the highest) by the National Tourist Bureau; in the same year, the museum was recognized as a “Level 1 National Museum” by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.