China’s National Museum, lying to the east of Tian’anmen Square in central Beijing, has reopened after more than three years of renovations, according to China TV.

The museum has been expanded to 191,900 square metres with 49 exhibition rooms, reportedly making it the largest museum in the world as it now holds a collection of more than one million pieces of cultural relics, according to the museum’s official website.

The museum is hosting two regular exhibitions, one featuring ancient China and the other about Chinese history since the Opium War in 1840, Huang Chen, a publicity official with the museum told China TV.

One of the museum’s most valuable collections is Si Muwu bronze quadrate vessel, 1.33 metres high and about 833 kilogrammes in weight, dating back to about 3,500 years ago.

The museum is hosting several special exhibitions on Chinese ancient art, such as bronze, porcelain, jade articles, Buddhist statues, furniture of Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), ink painting and calligraphy.

A maximum of 3,000 visitors are allowed each day, including 2,000 visitors in groups and 1,000 individuals while group visitors need to book in advance while individuals can get tickets at the entrance.

“The museum will hold various functions. And, besides holding exhibitions, we will conduct archeological research, provide education services for the public and carry out cultural exchanges with other museums,” Mr Huang said.

The new museum has a theatre with 800 seats, a conference hall with 300 seats and a studio with an area of 600 square meters.

In the conference hall, visitors can also watch digital films or documentaries, Mr Huang said.

The museum also has a large space for visitors to experience history and traditional arts through interactive programmes.