Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Museum (Taiping Tianguo Lishi Bowuguan)

Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Museum (Taiping Tianguo Lishi Bowuguan) Review

Commemorating a particularly fascinating period of Chinese history, this museum follows the life of Hong Xiuquan, a Christian who led a peasant revolt in 1859. He ultimately captured Nanjing and ruled for 11 years. Hong, who set himself up as emperor, claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus. On display are artifacts from the period. After browsing the museum, you can walk around the grounds of the Ming Dynasty garden compound that houses the museum. During the day it is the calmest spot in Nanjing. In the evening from 6 to 11 there are performances of opera and storytelling. Reasonably priced English-speaking guides make up for the lack of English signage.