China Museum Tours | Museum Spotlight Experiences
Adventures in Some of the Greatest Museums in China
Hi, history lovers! We're offering a great adventure in some of the greatest museums in China without having to wait in line.
You will hear the history and interesting stories behind the exhibits along with questions and interactive games.
We combine history with modern China so you will have a better understanding of the rich culture of this old and new nation.
Must See Museums
Forbidden City: Emperors and Their Families
- Discover the hidden halls in the Forbidden City
- Go beyond the touristy routes
- Hear stories of emperors
Explore 12 carefully-selected palaces in the Forbidden City, while other group tours often visit only 6-8 spots briefly. In addition to giving some background on the city's architecture, history, fengshui and art, your guide will lead you to explore some spots related to famous figures during the 2 dynasties.
These figures will include the most hardworking emperors, the most longevous empress dowager and the most talented concubine. Your guide will explain to you their stories so you can imagine what they must have experienced in the city.
Secrets of the Terracotta Army
- Discover different aspects of the warriors
- Make a clay warrior with local artisans
- Visit disappearing cave dwellings
Unveil the secrets of the world wonder that can't be Googled:
- How were the craftsmen from 2,200 years ago made over 8,000 life-size warriors in 11 years, which is more efficient than a modern factory today?
- Xi'an is cold in winter but hot in summer — what prevents the clay warriors from cracking?
- Purple color painted on warriors is the result of a chemical reaction, how did they have the technical skill at that time?
Then your guide will accompany you to a local cave dwelling where a craftsman makes terracotta warriors in a traditional way.
Top National Museums
Shanghai Museum: Search for Oriental Treasures
- Get close to a giant cursed oriental vessel
- Listen to the mysterious musical rhythm from over 2,000 years ago
- No queue — a VIP channel
What did music sound like 2,000 years ago? Why did ancient people sleep on bronze pillows? What happened to the owner of the ancient cursed vessel?
We will give you some clues with our native guide's explanations and some interactive questions, and you will learn about the interesting history during your tour.
The tour includes the museum's main exhibition halls, such as the Ancient Chinese Bronze Gallery and the Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery. Follow us to find the most amazing oriental treasures!
From the Last Empire to the Republic: Explore the National Museum of China with a PhD Student of Chinese History
- Learn about what happened in modern China, including the CCP's detours and progress
- Led by a PhD student of Chinese history from Peking University
- Explore one of the largest museums in the world
China's speed of development is perhaps the most amazing in the world today. What happened in modern China? Why did the CCP become the governing party of China?
In our museum tour, we will focus on modern Chinese history with a PhD student of Chinese history from Peking University, which has the best history department in China.
We'll visit the exhibition hall called The Road of Rejuvenation, which shows the history of the past 100 years in order, to gain a deeper understanding of China's rise.
If you are visiting with kids, we also provide a kids' treasure hunt tour (2 hours) for families, kids, and teens. Please inquire if you are interested in this.
Shaanxi History Museum: a Journey Through 5,000 Years of Ancient China in 13 Objects
- Stories behind the most celebrated art objects of each dynasty
- Try ancient contraptions with your own hands
- Explore the museum using our well-designed route without having to queue
Shaanxi History Museum is a great window through which to see the rich culture and history of Xi'an — a capital city of 13 dynasties in ancient China. Our museum adventure will take you on a journey through 5,000 years of history.
Listen to the stories about the amazing designs of ancient items and learn to use an exquisite pot with enigmatic technology. To ensure you enjoy your experience, we will arrange a VIP channel so that you don't need to wait in a long queue.
The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center: the Magic City's Future Plan
- Unveil the secret of China's Five-Year Plan
- Peep at a corner of the largest QR code empire
- "Sail" in the largest cargo port in the world – Yangshan Port – when you sit in the simulation machine and drive a speedboat in the port
Shanghai is also called the Magic City in China and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center contains everything you need to know about it.
The features range from a city model that's over 600m2 to a 360-degree 3D animation exhibition hall, and from the lifestyle in old Shanghai to today's garbage classification display.
You will learn about China's Five-Year Plan, hear the story behind QR codes, and play some games. With your guide's insightful explanations and some interactive games, you will have a better understanding of Shanghai and China.
Art Museums
National Art Museum of China
The National Art Museum of China is the largest art museum in China. It's a national level art museum focusing on ethnic works that reflect China's politics and culture.
Over its long history, the National Art Museum of China has hosted thousands of exhibitions featuring many national and international works of art. The museum was the first in China to create a public education department.
Visitors have an immersive experience of art through various interactive multimedia installations in the museum.
RockBund
Located in the Bund in Shanghai, the Rockbund Art Museum is committed to contemporary art. The building was restored and adapted by the famous architect, David Chipperfield.
RAM has held many major solo exhibitions for some of China's celebrated artists. It represents the high quality of art exhibitions in China. As the host of HUGO BOSS ASIA ART, RAM presents an artistic feast of top Asian artists' works each year.
Long Museum West Bund
The Long Museum was founded by world-renowned Chinese collectors, Liu Yiqian and his wife, Wang Wei. As the largest private museum in China, the Long Museum boasts the richest collection nationwide.
The couple's collection covers traditional Chinese art, modern and contemporary art, "red classics" as well as contemporary art from Asia and Europe. Based on a global perspective, it aims to show the diversity of visual art.
It presents the brilliant success of Chinese art and a new vigor to today's international art.
Yuz Museum
The Yuz Museum Shanghai is well-known for its avant-garde art exhibitions. Located in Shanghai's West Bund, the Yuz Museum Shanghai was established by the Yuz Foundation — a non-profit organization.
The space that the Yuz Museum Shanghai utilizes was the original location of the hangar at Longhua Airport, with a total floor area of 9,000 square meters.
The Yuz Museum Shanghai is committed to collecting contemporary art, promoting the art museum movement, and offering exhibition opportunities to international artists.
The museum has a considerable collection of Chinese contemporary art, especially paintings created between the early 1980s and late 1990s.
Hidden Wonders
The Shanghai Gallery of Antique Music Box and Mechanical Works
As the only gallery themed on music boxes in China, it concentrates on showing European music boxes and their development throughout history.
Over 200 precious antique music boxes and mechanical works are on display. The gallery's chief attraction is the world's oldest music box, which was made by the Swiss watchmaker Antoine Favre-Salomon in 1796. Visitors can still enjoy wonderful rhythms from these treasure boxes that were made hundreds of years ago.
In addition to the music boxes, visitors can also get a glimpse of European craft technology through various amazing mechanical dolls.
Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre
Located in the basement of a high-rise residential building in Shanghai, the Propaganda Poster Art Centre is officially known as Shanghai Yang Pei Ming Propaganda Poster Art Museum and its owner used to work as a tour guide.
Most of the exhibits are private collections of posters and artists' original paintings from the Cultural Revolution. Although small, it has a vast, fascinating collection of over 5,000 propaganda posters, giving an absorbing insight into China's recent history.
A visit to this museum is recommended for anyone interested in China's history and society.
Qianding Old Liquor Museum
Beijing Qianding Old Liquor Museum is a private collection gallery with wine as its theme.
It has a great wine exhibition with over 5,000 types of wine. The collections are divided by region and then ranked by the year of manufacture, which span across thousands of years. About 890 types of wine among the collections are no longer produced.
In addition to the wine, there are various wine bottles in different shapes and materials. Visitors can also get a glimpse of the brewing and distilling techniques for Chinese wines.
Beijing Qianding Old Liquor Museum is the perfect place for wine lovers to learn about the Chinese wine culture.
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum is famous for having artifacts and mummies of Caucasians who lived in the region between 1,500 and 4,000 years ago.
As an important staging post on the Silk Road thousands of years ago, Xinjiang became an exotic region that cultivated profound traditional art and a dazzling culture, spanning across different periods and places.
There is also a collection of silk articles and other artifacts from various eras of history, as well as written materials in different languages.
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Great tours!
I had an amazing two trips on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City with the guide Ivy during my stay in China. She was very helpful and answered all of our questions with an enthusiastic approach. I have nothing to say but to highly recommend the trips they offer on the Great Wall hiking/camping and also the in-depth Forbidden City tour! Thank you Ivy and China Highlights. more
May 2023,
Serhat Altay
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Amazing First Time to Beijing with China Highlights
Tom, my private tour guide was there when I landed and accompanied me all the way through to sending me off at the airport after check-in at the end of my trip. Zhao the driver, who also did all the driving during my trip, was calm, confident and knowledgeable in taking us around. Both Tom and Zhao were punctual too. The Great Wall of China Hike I wanted to do started in a very remote, unrestored part of the wall. This would not had been possible without Tom problem solving many issues we had on the way up and I could not have done this on my own a a foreigner. It was well worth the effort and probably the highlight of my trip.The remainder of the tour around Tiananmen Square, Forbidden Kingdom and The Temple of Heaven was paired with a detailed commentary by Tom of which I learnt a lot. more
May 2023,
Munsie
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Beijing - city of surprises
A fantastic guide was waiting for us - Jack, who told all the stories with passion and commitment. He also fulfilled those wishes that were not in the plan. I highly recommend visiting Beijing with this guide. more
May 2023,
Joanna i Piotr Kuzebscy
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Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot…
Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot of fun to spend time with during my first visit to Beijing. It was a wonderful intensive three days. more
May 2023,
Pam S.
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Great weather and a good trip out with Lily!
Many thanks to my guide Lily for customising the trip to make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible. She arranged to start an hour earlier to beat the crowd and I got to enjoy the Great Wall before the crowd streamed in and while the weather was cool. I requested to switch the next attraction to visit from Temple of Heaven to Ming Tomb and she not only accommodated the prompt request, but made all the necessary arrangements even before the trip coordinator managed to reply! Kudos! Our driver was jovial and friendly, always on top of traffic conditions and took detours to beat slow moving traffic. Hassle free day and I wouldn’t have been able to cover the two attractions so easily and comfortably without them! more
May 2023,
Meibao
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This was our first time traveling to Beijing
This was our first time traveling to China, so we really wanted to experience some of the major historical sights of Beijing together with a tour guide. Our itinerary was very carefully planned out according to our interests and tailored to our needs. First, we went camping on the Great Wall and hiked from Jiankou to Mutianyu, and the next day we got an in-depth tour of the Forbidden City as well as a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a taiji experience in the gardens. Our tour guide, Ivy, was truly wonderful in preparing and organizing our personalized itinerary. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and she was always able and willing to answer all of our questions. Ivy provided us with a truly amazing first visit to China and I would warmly recommend China Highlights for everyone who wishes to travel to China and I would especially recommend Ivy as a tour guide for your trips! more
May 2023,
Annalina Wheeler
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Tom is the BEST tour guide EVER!
Just had the most AMAZING tour with Tom. He was beyond knowledgeable, so generous with his time and made me feel so at ease which was super important as I am travelling by myself. Thank you Tom for the best day-you have totally made my China trip a fabulous experience, one I will never forget! more
May 2023,
SHARRYN HINCHLIFFFE
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Superb service and wonderful time in Beijing
Superb service from Jack who were with us for 4 wonderful days in Beijing. Jack was clearly knowledgeable about the history and able to deliver insight information to us about places. He was also kind and accommodating to my mother who has bad knees. Both China Highlights and Jack were flexible about the itinerary to ensure that we enjoy the best of Beijing. We'll definitely use China Highlights' services again for our next trip to China. more
May 2023,
Chani
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Amazing Trip
First time booking a trip with China Highlights and was fortunate to have Sunny as my private tour guide. We went to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, then arrived and walked around Gubei Water Town, and then visited the Simatai portion of the Great Wall at night. Was a very enjoyable trip as we were able to see a night time drone show in the sky, ride a private boat through the canals of the Gubei Water Town, and eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Sunny is super knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the Great Wall and took the time to explain various interesting facts and stories which made the trip very meaningful. The driver we had was also a very nice man who was always on time and eager to help. Was an unforgettable experience and would highly recommend Sunny and China Highlights :) more
May 2023,
Allen C
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Tour to the great wall from the airport
My guide Tom was ver kind and knowlegable, he explained everything to me about the great wall and even went out of his way to help me the next day at Bejings downtown! amazing service!!! thank you so much Tom! more
May 2023,
Fer Villasefior
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Great tour, fantastic guide!
This tour was fantastic! I loved hearing about the history of the Forbidden City and admiring the views at the Great Wall. William was a fantastic tour guide. We were a group of families with several young children, and he was very accommodating and flexible with timing and arrangements. I totally recommend this tour and William as a guide! more
May 2023,
Ryan Corless
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Four excellent sightseeing days in Beijing
We had wonderful four days in Beijing. The entire trip was tailored exactly to our wishes. From experiencing local food, to exploring the major sites of the city up to hiking the great wall of China. Additionally, we had two amazing guides Ina and Fan taking care of all the tickets and coordination required. Also, they could not only tell us everything about the sights we visited and give us an insight to local customs and traditions, but they did so in perfect German. The chauffeur service from Mr Chang was also excellent, getting us from A to B without any hazzle. The past couple of days were one of the most carefree trips we have had so far. more
May 2023,
Katha
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Great tour from William
Great tour organized by China highlights, our tour guide was William - his knowledge was impressive, his English was great and he was always on time. We did the four day tour including the wall and forbidden city - would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an English tour guide. more
Apr 2023,
Lawrence
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Beijing 2 day private tour
The tour itself was great, private driver to and from, my guide Ivy was great English speaking guide. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country. Was a great time exploring the Great Wall of china and then my second day did a city tour (forbidden city, hutong tour, summer palace). Felt extremely safe, and was confident having an English guide. Thank you china highlights. (Provide them what you want and they’ll make it happen). Prices are reasonable as I looked at a few places but for private tour, my own schedule, and confidence of getting around safely you can’t go wrong. more
Apr 2023,
Mark
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Very enjoyable
Everything was to the vest standard, the history all very well explained by the Tour Guide in Beijing, Ivy. Really enjoyed it, and appreciated the time. more
Apr 2023,
Jonathan
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Amazing Beijing Experience
I had an amazing time in Beijing and glad Tom was my tour guide. He went above and beyond and I’m truly grateful. Tom did all that he could to ensure my stay in Beijing for two days was pleasant and thanks to him, I say that it was. The driver was also nice and courteous, I called him Jon. The company is blessed to have a good tour guide like Tom on their team so if you are planning to come down to Beijing, make sure you ask for Tom. Thank you Christy and Kimmy for replying all my emails with questions that I had. more
Apr 2023,
Pedro V
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Great experience
We had a great experience with China Highlights and Roger was highly efficient and helpful planning our itinerary exactly how we needed. more
Apr 2023,
Brenda Sarmanho
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Excellent service and tour guide!!
Excellent service and communication from the travel agent Roger Li and amazing tour and experience of Great Wall of China from our tour guide Amber. Highly recommended! more
Apr 2023,
Evangelos Athanasopoulos
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Maggie was such a tremendous help for…
Maggie was such a tremendous help for our recent Beijing trip. Very prompt and helpful in helping us plan and adjust/amend to our requests. more
Apr 2023,
Hi
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HK-Beijing-Wuhan-Guilin-HK
We travelled first to Beijing for a few days before moving on to Wuhan for the wedding and then for a few days in Guilin along with my son and daughter in law. It was a great trip and all went smothly with the help of the guides we had along the way. William in Beijing and Jenny in Guilin were excellent. Chas in HK was also very helpful in getting us to the right place and the right time to fly home. more
Apr 2023,
Alan Harris
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