Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution

A monumental museum on the western extension of the great east–west avenue, devoted to Chinese military history and the country's armed forces. Its tall central tower, crowned by an emblem, rises above halls filled with weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and artillery, along with paintings and dioramas of major campaigns. Large exhibits spill into an open display area with tanks and missiles. Built in the late 1950s as one of the capital's grand public buildings, it draws steady numbers of domestic visitors.