China National Film Museum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The China National Film Museum in Beijing is the world’s largest professional film museum, dedicated to showcasing the history of Chinese cinema, hosting film technology expos, and conducting academic exchanges to advance film culture.
Planning your visit
Chinese cinema began in 1905 with a filmed Peking opera performance, and the China National Film Museum in Beijing — opened in 2007 for the centenary and claiming to be the largest film museum in the world — covers the century that followed.
The exhibition traces the Shanghai studios of the 1930s, which produced a genuinely sophisticated cinema, the wartime disruption, the socialist period, the near-total shutdown during the Cultural Revolution when only a handful of model works were permitted, the Fifth Generation directors — Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige — who reached international audiences in the 1980s, and the commercial industry since.
Technical galleries cover cinematography, sound, animation and special effects, with hands-on demonstrations, and the museum holds IMAX and screening facilities.
It sits in Chaoyang district well outside the centre, near the airport expressway.
Advance reservation is required.
Bookable options are entry reservations. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is China National Film Museum?
China National Film Museum is in Beijing, China. The map on this page marks its exact location.
Do I need to book China National Film Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
