China

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The Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution (to give it its full name) is housed in one of the ten Stalinist 'wedding-cake' style buildings that were built in Beijing in 1959 to celebrate 'ten years of liberation', after the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War in 1949. It is located on the western edge of the city centre, about 8 km west of Tiananmen Square (a relatively short distance by Beijing standards!). Although not specifically an aviation museum, there are a good number of aircraft on display, including a number of rare exhibits. It's an impressive place, if rather heavy on the propaganda, with the upstairs section (concentrating on the older, more historical, aspects of China's military history) being particularly good.

Although there aren't any real problems with photography in terms of lighting or layout, the more interesting outdoor area often seems to be closed (for 'work' - it took me 3 separate attempts in 3 different years before I was able to get in), so don't be too surprised if you find the same thing when you go!

The museum is open every day, from about 8:30am to 4:30pm, although these times do seem to change occasionally, so it's probably best not to visit too early or late just in case. By far the easiest way to get there is by subway, as the museum has its own subway station ('Junshi Bowuguan' on the East-West Line).

079 ex-N. Korean AF MiG-15	025 Shenyang J-6	053 Shenyang J-8	103 Tachikawa Ki-55	3512 ex-ROCAF U-2

Click here for a list of aircraft on display.
Last visited on 20 February 2003	Top of page

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