This Lunar New Year of the Horse, consider visiting major museums in Haidian District to discover authentic Chinese New Year traditions among ancient artifacts and intangible cultural heritage workshops. The Haidian Cultural and Tourism Bureau has prepared a comprehensive guide for celebrating the holiday in museums, offering daily activities from the first to the seventh day of the new year - including receiving calligraphy blessings, collecting special stamps, creating非遗 crafts, and viewing new exhibitions. Numerous "Good Fortune with the Horse" cultural creative gifts await visitors.
First Stop: Citywide "Fortune Hunt" - Bring Home Horse Year Luck The first surprise of the new year begins with seeking "fortune." Haidian's museums have prepared abundant blessings for visitors. The Three Hills and Five Gardens Cultural Arts Center offers "New Year Fortune Collection · Golden Horse Hunt" from February 17-18 (first and second day of new year) with extended hours until 20:00. Activities include limited free fortune bags, social media clue hunts for golden horse fortune bags, and special appearances by God of Wealth characters with Kunqu opera performances.
The Great Bell Temple Ancient Bell Museum hosts "Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New" bell-ringing ceremonies from February 15 (28th of lunar month) through February 23 (seventh day of new year), with closure on New Year's Eve (February 16). Museum staff will periodically ring the Yongle Great Bell, inviting visitors to listen outside the bell tower and make new year wishes.
Second Stop: Stamp Collection Tour - Discover Stone Inscriptions and Painting Horses Explore museum corners to find hidden horse representations. The Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum presents "Welcoming the Horse Year · Stone Wishes" with new puzzle stamp machines featuring horse patterns. Visitors can search for horse images among weathered stone carvings and collect elegant stamps. New "Horse Year Happiness" cultural products are available, including door decorations, red envelopes, and commemorative medals.
The China Telecom Museum offers "New Stamp Collection · Riddle Guessing" with extended hours until 18:00 from February 17-23. Activities include calligraphy blessing writing,趣味谜题 guessing, and newly designed telecom-themed stamps. Multiple horse-themed photo spots are arranged throughout the museum. The Beijing Art Museum (Wanshou Temple) provides horse-year stamp activities and special gifts with purchases, offering free "fortune" calligraphy for visitors making any purchase on New Year's Eve and first day.
Third Stop: Hands-on Crafting - Experience Festival Warmth through Intangible Heritage For deeper engagement, create your own horse-year非遗 artwork. The National Library of China Museum hosts "Ancient Craft Reproduction · New Fortune Prints" until March 3. During the holiday, the exhibition area specially prepares door god and fortune character woodblocks. Visitors can personally create prints of majestic door gods and distinctive fortune paintings using red paper for only 19.9 RMB, taking home unique New Year atmosphere.
Fourth Stop: New Exhibitions and Performances - Artistic Immersion for the New Year For those preferring quiet appreciation, major new exhibitions and performances offer ideal options. The Tsinghua University Art Museum presents "Spring Fills the Universe, Fortune Fills the Home: Ritual Elegance Through the New Year" from February 17-23, featuring over 150 collection pieces that comprehensively document folk customs and rituals from Laba Festival to Lantern Festival, along with horse-year related artifacts exploring the spiritual lineage of horses in Chinese culture.
The National Library of China Museum hosts multiple exhibitions including "Eternal Masterpieces, Brilliant Cultural Legacy - Chinese Traditional Classics Exhibition," "The Return and Reconstruction of the Yongle Encyclopedia," "Past and Future - Xiaoxitian Cultural Relics and Suspended Sculpture Art," "Oracle Bone Script Memory," and "Studying the Ancients, Seeking Truth from Facts - Academies in Classics." The Three Hills and Five Gardens Cultural Arts Center features "Fine Horse Masterpieces and Horse Year Theme Painting Exhibition" with 21 authentic works by Xu Beihong and 16 pieces by other masters including his son Xu Qingping. The Summer Palace presents the 15th "Proud Bones, Subtle Fragrance" Plum Blossom Cultural Exhibition with hundreds of premium plum blossoms and innovative displays including the "Hundred Horses" scroll.
Important Reminders: During the holiday period, venues may adjust opening policies, activity schedules, or participation methods based on actual circumstances. Visitors are advised to make advance reservations for popular activities (such as非遗 experiences) as slots are limited. Most venues require valid identification for entry. Temporary changes may occur due to weather, maintenance, or other factors.