The 20 most visited museums in Asia
The museum sector is booming in Asia, with over 200 museum registrations in China alone in 2024. Museums in the region are also increasing their global market share, as shown by the rankings of the world's most-visited museums.
In fact, 10 Asian venues made our list of the world's 20 most visited museums. Here, we take a look at the most visited museums in Asia.
The attendance figures are from the TEA/AECOM Museum Index 2024. This annual report sheds light on visitor trends, attendance growth, and the evolving role of museums in a post-pandemic world.
Notably, for the 2024 report, the definition of museums was expanded to include selected leading historic sites with significant museum components.
As a result, the heavily China-focused list has become more so, with 19 of the top 20 museums located within the country.
China plans to become a ‘museum powerhouse’ by 2035, developing outstanding museums with Chinese features and attractions through a Museums of Excellence Development Plan.
The report notes that “China’s museums benefit from a large domestic population, high urban density, a strong commitment from the government to invest in cultural institutions, and a prominence of free or low-cost pricing models.”
Chinese museums have been quick to adopt new technologies, including digital collectables as an alternative to NFTs.
The 20 most visited museums in Asia
1.Palace Museum, Beijing, China
The Palace Museum opened to the public in 1925 and is home to a collection of almost 1.9 million objects, mostly from the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The museum is located within the Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It served as the emperor's home and the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government for nearly five centuries.
While the museum spans 720,000 square metres, an annual attendance of 17 million guests a year has necessitated a daily attendance limit to protect both the structure and the visitor experience.
A significant new expansion, the North Branch of the Palace Museum, is set to open in 2026, located 30 kilometres from the Forbidden City in Beijing's Haidian district.
This site seeks to address space limitations at the Forbidden City and make the Palace Museum's artefacts more accessible to both domestic visitors and tourists.
The northern branch will provide over 60,000 square metres of exhibition space and 35,000 square metres of space dedicated to state-of-the-art conservation laboratories.
See also: The best new museums opening in 2026
2024 attendance – 17,000,000
2023 attendance – 14,500,000
2.Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum, Chengdu, China
The Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum in Sichuan Province offers an extensive exploration of the history, literature, and legends of the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD).
Spanning a large area within the city centre, this cultural site dates back to 223 AD and features tranquil gardens and traditional Chinese architecture.
The site honours key figures from the Shu Kingdom remembered for their loyalty and wisdom.
Nestled amongst the gardens and statues are the shrines of Shu Han Emperor Liu Bei and his chief minister, Zhuge Liang.
Visitors can also see the joint tomb of Liu Bei and his wives, and Wuhou Temple, which features statues of Zhuge Liang and other historical figures.
Nearby is Jinli Ancient Street, a bustling traditional street known for local snacks, cultural experiences, and souvenirs.
Also in Chengdu, Zaha Hadid Architects unveiled designs for a new Science Fiction Museum in 2023.
2024 attendance – 14,570,000
2023 attendance – 16,300,000
3.Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum, Xi'an, China
The Mausoleum Site Museum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is the official guardian of one of the most important archaeological sites on the planet, and contains more than 8,000 unique terracotta warriors found in 1974.
The tomb took 38 years (246–208 BCE) to build, employing more than 700,000 workers.
It includes the Terracotta Army pits, which are home to more than 8,000 soldiers, horses, and chariots, each with individual, intricate, and expressive features.
Guests can also see half-scale, painted bronze chariots discovered in 1980.
In 2025, a new VR experience titled Terracotta Warriors: Secrets of the First Emperor's Mausoleum was launched. It marks the world's first immersive virtual reality experience to explore the sealed chambers of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's legendary mausoleum.
Developed in partnership with VIVE Arts and Wevr, this innovative experience takes visitors 2,200 years back in time to witness the night before the burial of China's first emperor.
2024 attendance – 11,610,000
2023 attendance – 11,220,000
4.Opium War Museum, Dongguan, China
Image credit: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Opium War Museum in Dongguan, Guangdong province, opened in 1957 and focuses on the opium trade, Lin Zexu's efforts to suppress it, and the two Opium Wars (1839–1842 and 1856–1860).
The museum’s mission is to collect, research, and exhibit materials related to Lin Zexu’s 1839 opium destruction and the Opium War.
The museum also works to protect historical sites, including the Site of the Pits, where Lin Zexu destroyed opium, and the Ruin Site of the Humen batteries.
These important cultural relics, spanning over 800,000 square metres and protected by the state, serve as witnesses to the history of the opium trade and wars.
2024 attendance – 7,221,000
2023 attendance – 5,413,000
5.National Museum of China, Beijing, China
The vast National Museum of China in Beijing contains more than 1.4 million artefacts displayed across 48 exhibition halls.
With a total floor space of nearly 200,000 square metres, the National Museum of China is the largest single building museum on the planet.
The museum cares for items ranging from ancient ceramics and calligraphy to jade and bronze treasures, as well as Buddhist sculptures and socialist realism artworks.
Recent exhibitions have covered a wide range of themes from art, culture, history, and politics.
These include: Twin Stars Illuminating the World: The Ancient Shu Civilization of the Sanxingdui and Jinsha Sites, The Power of Truth: Marking the Bicentenary of the Birth of Karl Marx, and The Journey Back Home: An Exhibition of Chinese Artifacts Repatriated from Italy.
2024 attendance – 6,957,000
2023 attendance – 6,757,000
6.Shenzhen Nanshan District Museum, Shenzhen, China
This museum explores the history of Nanshan and its related cultural research. It is responsible for collecting and studying archaeological relics from the Nanshan District.
In addition, cares for objects relating to the ancient Guangdong and the maritime Silk Road.
With a building spanning 36,000 square metres, Nanshan Museum is the largest standalone museum in Shenzhen and one of the largest district-level museums in the country.
The institution operates three museums in total and numerous cultural sites and historical buildings across the district.
In 2025, it opened the most extensive Dunhuang cultural and art exhibition in South China's history.
The Dunhuang exhibition at Shenzhen Nanshan Museum features 205 valuable items, including 1:1 digital restorations of six major protected caves, over 80 original relics, more than 60 reproduced murals, and four reproduced coloured sculptures.
Elsewhere in the city, Chinese e-commerce and technology company JD.com has announced plans for a new JD Museum. Due to open in late 2027, the JD Museum will focus on contemporary visual and performing arts and will be located in JD.com's new headquarters.
Also due to open in 2027 is the Róng Museum of Art, which will be dedicated to digital and visual culture of the 20th and 21st century.
Designed by architecture firm Büro Ole Scheeren, the Róng Museum of Art will be a new cultural landmark in Shenzhen's Nanshan District.
2024 attendance – 6,805,000
2023 attendance – 5,393,000
7.Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan, China
The Sanxingdui Museum shows thousands of artefacts dating back 3,000 years from the ancient Shu period, including bronze, jade, and gold.
These objects showcase the art of ancient China and the extraordinary heritage of a lost civilisation.
Built in August 1992, the museum opened to the public in October 1997. Notable relics in the collection are a 3.95-metre bronze tree, which is one of the largest bronze relics in the country, and a 3.82-metre-long Jade Tablet featuring fish and birds.
In 2021, the Sanxingdui Museum signed a cooperation agreement with Tencent to promote its cultural IP through games, music, and online literature.
The world’s largest video games company by revenue, Tencent is the creator of major esports titles including Ring of Elysium and League of Legends. It also developed WeChat, a Chinese messaging and social media app.
Through the partnership, the Sanxingdui Museum aimed to use technology, gaming and youth culture to grow its brand in China and worldwide.
2024 attendance – 5,994,000
2023 attendance – 3,230,000
8.Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, China
Image credit 維基小霸王, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Nanjing Museum was one of the first museums established in China. Following major expansions, including a notable transformation project that started in 2009, it now covers more than 70,000 square metres.
It holds a large permanent collection with more than 400,000 pieces, including an extensive range of Ming and Qing imperial porcelain.
One of the permanent installations at Nanjing Museum is an exhibition on the Jiangsu Area in Ancient Times, covering ancient history through to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Highlights include a dinosaur skeleton, a wall made of bricks from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and a full-size jade suit of armour, laced with silver thread.
Nanjing Museum is one of a number of Chinese museums looking to technology to navigate surging demand.
It has been exploring the creation of digital museums and galleries, using virtual displays and online exhibitions to reach audiences who cannot secure admission tickets.
2024 attendance – 5,680,000
2023 attendance – 5,007,000
9.China Science and Technology Museum, Beijing, China
Image credit Jason Quinn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Founded in 1988, China Science and Technology Museum has been in its current location since 2006, when it moved to new buildings ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics in the city.
The museum featured five permanent exhibitions: Science Paradise, The Glory of China, Science & Technology and Life, Explorations and Discoveries, and Challenges and the Future.
These are accompanied by a dome theatre, a giant-screen theatre, a 4D theatre, and a motion theatre.
2024 attendance – 5,421,000
2023 attendance – 5,315,000
10.The Museum of Dr Sun Yat-Sen, Zhongshan, China
Image credit EditQ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Museum of Dr Sun Yat-Sen is located in Cuiheng, a mountainous village, and houses the former residence of Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), the founding father of the Republic of China.
Established in 1956, the institution covers 200,000 square metres and includes the Zhongshan Museum of Folk Customs and the Zhongshan Institute of Dr Sun Yat-sen.
The Zhongshan Museum of Folk Customs researches folk culture, collects folk cultural relics, and works to preserve the residences and customs of Cuiheng village and the Pearl River Delta region.
The Zhongshan Institute of Dr Sun Yat-sen is committed to studying the social environment. This remit includes the folk customs of the Pearl River Delta, where Sun Yat-sen was born and raised.
It also examines his life experiences and thoughts, family history, relatives and descendants, contemporaries, and associated cultural relics.
Permanent exhibitions explore Sun Yat-sen's family, his career, local residential architecture and customs, and the cultural heritage of Zhongshan city.
2024 attendance – 5,100,000
2023 attendance – 4,451,000
11.Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China
The Suzhou Museum was founded in 1960 and was one of the first national museums in China to offer free entry.
Originally located in the historic Zhong Wang Fu (Prince Zhong's mansion), a new museum building, designed by architect I.M. Pei, opened in 2006.
This combines classical Chinese and Suzhou architecture with modern elements.
The museum’s collections are dedicated to Jiangnan history, art and culture, with over 15,000 objects spanning archaeological relics, calligraphy and folk art.
Objects from the Ming and Qing dynasties are especially notable, reflecting the region's prosperity and cultural achievements.
Exhibitions explore multiple dynasties and showcase the evolution of Chinese art and craftsmanship.
In addition to its permanent collections, the museum shows touring exhibitions from institutions such as the British Museum.
2024 attendance – 5,095,000
2023 attendance – 4,852,000
12.Guangzhou Liwan District Museum, Guangzhou, China
Dedicated to Xiguan culture, Liwan District Museum is a national tourist attraction spanning multiple buildings in Guangzhou, Guangdong.
Two mansions are accompanied by a folk museum, which together explore the region's history, customs, and crafts.
Visitors to the Western-style home of prominent merchant Chen Lianzhong can see both temporary exhibitions and displays from the museum’s permanent collection.
The residence of General Jiang Guangnai reflects his early revolutionary career and his later contributions to the country after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
In the folk museum, a recreated Xiguan mansion enables visitors to experience the distinctive architecture, layout, and interiors of a traditional home.
The institution also oversees the Guangzhou Thirteen Factories Museum and the Cantonese Opera Art Museum.
Elsewhere in Guangzhou, the Xuelei Fragrance Museum has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest fragrance museum.
2024 attendance – 5,087,000
2023 attendance – N/A
13.Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, China
Image courtesy of Keitma - stock.adobe.com
Founded in 1953, the Hubei Provincial Museum covers over 42,000 square metres with more than 13,400 square metres of exhibition space.
The institution cares for over 200,000 objects, including the Sword of Goujian and key artefacts from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng.
The Hubei Provincial Museum is also home to a set of 2,400-year-old chime-bells, one of which is thought to be the heaviest musical instrument in the world.
A key highlight is a performance of ancient Chu music.
2024 attendance – 5,000,000
2023 attendance – 4,300,000
14.Hunan Museum, Changsha, China
The Hunan Museum first opened to the public in 1956. In 2012, it closed for a major redevelopment and extension project, bringing its total area to 50,000 square metres. The museum reopened in 2017.
Its permanent collection comprises more than 180,000 items, including some of the most precious cultural and historical relics in China.
Visitors can see artefacts from the tomb of Lady Dai (wife of the Marquis of Dai), dating to more than 2,000 years ago.
2024 attendance – 4,900,000
2023 attendance – 4,398,000
15.Shanghai Museum East, Shanghai, China
Image credit Alexey Yakovlev, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Shanghai Museum was founded in 1952 and cares for over 1 million artefacts. Its East Branch opened in 2024 and is dedicated to ancient Chinese art. It offers nearly twice the exhibition space of the institution’s People's Square location.
Among its galleries are spaces dedicated to ancient bronzes, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, and more.
It is also home to a series of interactive spaces that enhance engagement and understanding.
The Ancient Civilization Exploration Palace is designed for children and their families, and offers a combination of education, interaction and immersion.
The Digital Pavilion offers a focused space for deeper study, with a further space that takes visitors behind the scenes of the protection and restoration of cultural relics.
Recent temporary exhibitions have included collaborations with the Pola Museum of Art in Japan and the National Portrait Gallery in the UK.
Shanghai Museum is currently developing a third site, Shanghai Museum North, which is expected to open by 2030.
2024 attendance – 4,800,000
2023 attendance – N/A
16.Zhejiang Museum, Hangzhou, China
Jade ring from the Majiabang culture (7,000–6,000 years ago)
Courtesy of Zhejiang Museum
Established in 1929, this museum spans a range of properties in the foothills of Gushan Mountain and a major expansion, the Zhijiang New Hall, which opened in 2023.
Zhejiang Museum’s sites include the Huang Binhong Memorial at Qixia Ridge, the former residence of renowned calligrapher Sha Menghai, and the Wenlan Branch, housed in a former imperial library.
In total, it has around 130,000 square metres of floor space.
Home to ivory artefacts, pottery, woodenware, bone tools and lacquerware, the museum also has a large collection of jade items, porcelain, bronzes and gold and silver coins, as well as paintings and calligraphy.
2024 attendance – 4,000,000
2023 attendance – 2,624,000
17.National Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
The National Museum of Korea is one of the largest museums in Asia and one of the most visited. In fact, it is the sixth-largest museum in the world by floor space, spanning over 295,000 square metres.
It first opened in 1945 and moved to its new building in 2005.
This museum holds South Korea's most significant collection of history and art. It is home to over 310,000 pieces, around 15,000 of which are on display. The six permanent exhibition galleries cover prehistory and ancient history, medieval and early modern history, calligraphy, painting, sculpture and more.
In 2026, the museum collaborated with K-pop girl group BLACKPINK on the launch of a new album, resulting in new on-site visitor experiences.
The collaboration aimed to “reinterpret cultural heritage through the language of today” and to foster greater visitor engagement with the museum, said NMK director general You Hong-june.
A branch of the National Museum of Korea can also be found at Incheon Airport, the largest airport in South Korea.
2024 attendance – 3,866,000
2023 attendance – 4,180,000
18.Shenzhen Museum, Shenzhen, China
Image credit Nishino Asuka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Shenzhen Museum has a total area of around 65,000 square metres, with a collection numbering more than 288,000 objects.
Its four locations show 12 permanent exhibitions, on topics such as folk culture, historical change, and the Reform and Opening-up process.
Artefacts from the museum’s ancient and natural history collections are also on display, and are accompanied by an average of 20+ temporary exhibitions each year.
The museum was founded in 1981. In 1988, it opened the Shenzhen Museum of Tongxin Road, a centre for ancient art. This branch reopened in 2020 following extensive renovation and upgrades.
The Jintian Road site, which is dedicated to Shenzhen's history and folk culture, opened in 2008. It was followed by a conservation unit, which opened in 2017, and the Shenzhen Reform and Opening-up Exhibition Hall in 2018.
A key research institution, Shenzhen Museum specialises in fields including cultural relics, local history, Reform and Opening-up history, folk culture, archaeology, and museology.
2024 attendance – 3,690,000
2023 attendance – 2,602,000
19.(Tie) Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an, China
Image credit Wang Zhongyin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Shaanxi History Museum was the first large national museum to be built after the Reform and Opening Up. It explores the history of the region, which served as an important centre of Chinese culture and as an ancient imperial capital for 13 dynasties.
The building combines modern technology with traditional architecture in the Tang dynasty style, with a large central hall. The museum opened to the public in 1991 and is home to more than 1.7 million artefacts, including pottery, bronzes, and tomb paintings.
Exhibitions include The Cradle of Civilization, The Great Han Dynasty, and Everlasting Glamour, among others.
The Qin-Han branch opened in 2024 and offers a focused examination of the two dynasties, combining objects, interactive and multimedia exhibits.
2024 attendance – 3,360,000
2023 attendance – 2,950,000
20.(Tie) Tianjin Museum, Tianjin, China
Image credit Amazingloong, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Tianjin Museum is located in a group of three museums in the Wénhuà Zhōngxīn complex, accompanied by Tianjin Art Museum, and Tianjin Natural History Museum.
Previously housed in an iconic swan-like building by Japanese architect Mamoru Kawaguchi, the museum moved to this new location in 2012.
The size of its new building allows it to care for almost 200,000 objects. The collection is particularly notable for its calligraphy and jade exhibitions. Visitors can also see Jiagu oracle bones, inkstone and ceramics among other treasures.
Permanent exhibitions include The Origination of Tianjin Culture, which traces the history of the region from the end of the Palaeolithic to the middle and late Qing Dynasty.
Its more recent past is chronicled in Tianjin - An Epitome of China in the Past Hundred Years, spanning from the Opium War to the founding of the People's Republic of China.
2024 attendance – 3,360,000
2023 attendance – 2,210,000
