Beijing Ancient Coin Museum

Beijing Ancient Coin Museum

Destination Introduction

Standing on East Second Ring Middle Road in Beijing is a majestic ancient structure—the Deshengmen Arrow Tower—beneath which the Beijing Ancient Coin Museum is located. It was opened to the public in October 1993.

The Deshengmen Arrow Tower was first built in the early years of the Zhengtong era during the Ming Dynasty and was once one of the nine city defense structures of the Ming and Qing capital. It has a history of more than 500 years. The tower features gray walls and green tiles, stands 31.9 meters tall, and is constructed with a brick-and-wood structure. It has a front tower and rear wing, four levels in total, and includes 82 arrow windows. The beams, columns, brackets, and arches inside the tower are all adorned with colorful paintings. The upper floor hosts a permanent exhibition titled “Exhibition of Beijing City Gates and Walls.”

The Ancient Coin Museum is housed in a reconstructed Qing Dynasty Zhenwu Temple and displays the “Series of Chinese Historical Currency.” Here, you can learn about the wide variety of ancient Chinese coins, which came in shapes such as knife-shaped, square, and round, and were made from materials including gold, silver, copper, pottery, and paper. Each small coin embodies rich and profound cultural significance, reflecting the social life and political changes of the time. Every change in the currency system had an undeniable impact on the course of history.

Since its establishment, the Coin Museum has exhibited the earliest forms of currency such as cowrie shells, spade coins, and ghost-face coins, as well as copper coins from various dynasties, silver notes from the Qing Dynasty, and paper money from the Republic of China. In addition, the museum also features an ancient coin trading market where visitors can buy, exchange, and have coins appraised for authenticity and grade by experts.

The Beijing Ancient Coin Exhibition Hall consists of two parts: the Deshengmen Arrow Tower and the Zhenwu Temple. It is a thematic museum primarily dedicated to showcasing coins, focusing on collection, exhibitions, and national coin trading activities.

The museum has become a hub for coin enthusiasts to conduct research, collect, and trade, and serves as a window for residents of Beijing to learn about coin knowledge and participate in coin collecting activities.

Location: Located on East Second Ring Middle Road in Beijing

Beijing Xicheng District