porcelain vase from the
Ming Dynasty. The Beijing Capital Museum today contains over 200,000 cultural relics in its collection. Only a small fraction of the collection is exhibited, and a significant percentage of the museum's art collection comprises artifacts unearthed in Beijing. Although the museum pales in comparison to the visitors received in other major art museums in Beijing, such as the
Palace Museum in the
Forbidden City, the
National Museum of China, and the
National Art Museum of China, it has become one of the leading cultural institutions in the city. and the stone-made exterior wall was meant to symbolize the city walls and towers of ancient China. A piece of
danbi (a massive stone carved with images of dragon, phoenix and imperial artifacts) is embedded on the ground in front of the north gate of the museum. A decorative archway from the
Ming Dynasty, set in the reception hall, shows the "central axis" feature that is commonly seen in Chinese architecture. The Bronze Exhibition Hall, which has an oval-shape, was meant to symbolize the unearthing of ancient relics by its slanting design which extends from the ground to the exterior of the museum. ==See also==