Try Something Different: Wacky and Unusual Guangzhou Museums

Try Something Different: Wacky and Unusual Guangzhou Museums

Guangzhou’s museum scene is ever changing, with its museums becoming bigger and more architecturally challenging as China tests out its superlatives. These are some of the more unusually themed museums that Guangzhou has on offer, if you have some time to go off the beaten track.

Foreign affairs Museum
Photo: Baidu

InBev International Beer Museum 珠江英博国际啤酒博物馆 View In Map

Located on the south bank of the Pearl River in Zhujiang New Town, the InBev International Beer Museum was established in cooperation with two leading breweries: Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery Company and Belgian InBev Corporation. It has some interesting exhibits, with objects from modern as well as ancient beer brewing. There is even an interactive ‘drunk’ exhibit where you can test what it feels like to be drunk (think slanted floors), and most importantly: a European-style pub downstairs where you can get a free beer to test what you’ve been learning about.

Add: 118 Modiesha Dajie, Zhuhai District, Guangzhou
地址:广州市珠海区魔碟沙大街118号
Tel: 020 8420 2521 or 020 8420 6231
Opening hours: 08:30-12:00 and 13:00-16:45
How much: 25 RMB (students and over 60’s); 50 RMB
Getting there: Take subway line 8 to Chigang Station (赤岗站) and then take Bus No. B7 to Yuejiang Xiluzhong (阅江西路中站) or Bus No. 765, 779 to Zhujiang Brewery (珠江啤酒厂总站)

Guangdong Foreign Affairs Museum 广东外事博物馆 View In Map

For a wholly different museum experience, try the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Museum – also known as “a symbol of friendship”. The museum is located inside the old French consulate building from the time of the Republic of China, and displays some interesting baroque architecture from 1890.

Inside the museum, there are over 200 gifts given to Guangdong by governments and individuals from all over the world, including beautiful Indonesian wood carvings, Vietnamese lacquer utensils and Mexican sculptures. All in all, it is a good way to see the value of foreign policy. There are also some interesting historical photos of the museum when it was still the French consulate and its surroundings.

Add: 20 Shamiannanjie, Shamian District, Guangzhou
地址:广州市荔湾区沙面南街20号
Tel: 020 8121 9772
How much: Free
Opening hours: 10:00-17:00 daily except Mondays
Getting there: Take subway line 6 to Culture Park Station (文化公园站).

National Archives of Guangzhou 广州市国家档案馆 View In Map

Opened very recently at the end of 2012, the Guangzhou archives are one of the biggest archives in the entire country. However, there are a lot of interesting things to see here for visitors, including the architecture. Secondly, there are futuristic displays of city planning and a lot of historical documents, maps and photos are on show, great for any history enthusiasts. Some of these maps and documents have been preserved for 100 years, but there are also artifacts related to Guangzhou’s Asian Games.

Add: Xiwulu, Fanyu District, Guangzhou
地址:广州市番禺区西五路
Tel: 020 3105 0872
How much: free
Opening hours: 09:00-16:30 Monday-Friday, 10:00-16:00 Saturday and Sunday.
Getting there: Take subway line 4 to University Town South Station (大学城南站) or University Town North Station (大学城北站).

Museum of Guangzhou Asian Games 广州亚运会亚残会博物馆 View In Map

Opened in 2012, the Museum of the Guangzhou Asian Games was part of the official commemoration of International Museum Day as well as the Guangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games in 2010. It is a free museum, and houses over 2,000 authentic items from both the Asian games: from tiny pins to the firecrackers that lit the flame of the Games.

You can also see the actual lit flame, which Guangzhou, as the first host city of the Asian Games, has resolved to have kept lit forever.

Add: 299 Tianhe Road, Tianhe Sports Center West Main Gate, Tianhe District, Guangzhou
地址:广州市天河区天河路299号体育中心西大门
Tel: 020 8567 8506
How much: Free, up to 1,000 tickets a day (bring identification)
Opening hours: 09:30-16:30, daily except Mondays
Getting there: Take subway line 3 or APM and get off at Linhexi Station (林和西站).

Guangdong Times Museum 广州时代美术馆 View In Map

The Guangzhou Times Museum has been around since 2010, but has only grown in fame since then. It is a place to stimulate artistic creation, and offers art in production as well as exhibitions.

The whole concept is built on an experimental attitude towards planning, and a fusion between residential and commercial buildings. To see which exhibition is currently on, take a look at their website which is in English and Chinese. They have a good mix of local and international artists exhibiting their work.

Add: Times Rose Garden, 151 Guangbianbeilu, Baiyun District, Guangzhou
地址:广州市白云区黄边北路151号
Tel: 020 2627 2363
How much: Free of charge for daily exhibition, special exhibitions subject to further charges
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 daily except Mondays.
Getting There: Take Bus No. 664, 667 or 831 to Shidai Meiguiyuan (时代玫瑰园站)

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Keywords: Museums in Guangzhou Guangzhou unusual museums

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