National Museum of China, Beijing

With 19 hectares (47 acres) in length, the National Museum of China is among the greatest museums in the world. It is an excellent place to learn more about Chinese culture and history of the ancient dynasties. You can spend most of the day walking through the halls of the museum.

Upon entering you might feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of the exhibits. It will be almost impossible to have time to see all the items in the collection, which is around one million objects. It begins with temporary exhibitions and then goes to collections that interest you most. You can always return to see the basic exhibitions, which are free.

Permanent exhibits cover 5.000 years of Chinese history. Follow this story through the precious treasure of artifacts, such as rare pieces of porcelain, old gold and silver jewelry, old coins and jade objects of Neolithic times. You will find portraits of Buddha and Mao everywhere you look. You will see that history, religion and politics go hand in hand in this museum.

Take a break in the museum cafe before seeing most interesting objects. Meet an ancient bronze cooking vessel known as Simuwu Ding, and incisors of an old skull of Homo erectus, called the Man of Yuanmou. The ceremonial jade burial suit made of Han Dynasty is another piece you can not miss.