Why is Guanfu Museum special
The Guanfu Museum is established as the first private museum in mainland China. The museum has a fantastic collection of fine porcelain, cloisonné, ancient furniture and carved windows and doors. It is not as big as other museums, but you will find that it is perfect museum of Chinese artifacts. If you have enough time in Beijing, it is well worth taking the time to seek out this museum.
Guanfu Museum Highlights
Founder of Guanfu Museum
The museum was founded by Ma Weidu in 1996. He began his collection in the 1980s and people rarely collected antiques at that time. Most people couldn’t understand why he spent so much money buying a useless panel when they saved money only to buy a TV or a refrigerator. However, Ma Weidu didn’t care what others thought, and indulged himself in the joy of collection.
Exhibitions in Guanfu Museum
Covering an area of 3000 square meters, it has several departments including: ancient porcelain, classic Chinese furniture, work of art, oil paintings, classic doors and windows. It is beautifully laid out and the exhibits have explanatory captions in both Chinese and English.
The exhibition on Chinese porcelain includes about 140 elegant pieces from 10th to 18th century (from Tang to Qing dynasty). Each one is a masterpiece that combines artisan intelligence and hard-work, while the porcelain vase with floral panels made in Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty attracts much attention.
Furniture from the Ming and Qing periods in many ways represent the culmination of Chinese furniture-making skills, and they have various different features. Ming furniture features simple, smooth, and flowing lines, and plain and elegant ornamentation, fully bringing out the special qualities of frame-structure furniture. The Chinese furniture department comprises four parts according to differing structural timber which are mahogany, Zitan wood, Huanghuali wood and Jichi wood, each of which are valuable woods representing high social status. Each piece of furniture has a unique story behind, making the intelligence and fine technique of ancient artists more admirable.