China has one of the densest museum networks in the world, and most are free. The most famous are the Palace Museum and National Museum in Beijing, Shaanxi History Museum, plus Shanghai Museum, Nanjing Museum and Henan Museum.
Booking is the rule: "free but ticketed" means reserving 1-7 days ahead on the official WeChat mini-program or website, entering with an ID card or passport. Holiday slots fill up the same day.
Don not miss the star pieces: the Simuwu Ding at the National Museum, the Hejiacun gold and silver at Shaanxi History Museum, the Palace Museum "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" (shown occasionally), and the Jiahu bone flute at Henan Museum.
Plan 3-4 hours for top national museums; audio guides (some in English) are available. Most museums close on Mondays except holidays.
Hidden gems: Guangzhou Southern Yue King Museum (original underground tomb), Xi an Forest of Stone Steles Museum (calligraphy carvings), Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum (sun bird) - quieter and unique.
Museums are the fastest door into five thousand years of China - book ahead and skip the queues.
