Three Gorges Museum — Attraction in Chongqing

The Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing is definitely one of the must-do itineraries when visiting the city. Located right across from the Great Hall of the People, the museum itself is modern and impressive, both in scale and design.

Inside, you’ll find well-curated exhibits that cover a wide range of topics—from the history and culture of Chongqing to the monumental Three Gorges Dam project, ancient artifacts, and even wartime history. The exhibitions are detailed and engaging, offering a good mix of cultural relics, multimedia, and reconstructed scenes that bring history to life.

You can easily spend half a day here walking through the different galleries, and there’s a lot to absorb, so pacing yourself is key. It’s not just about the Three Gorges; it’s also a window into the heritage of the entire region.

The museum is free to enter, which makes it even more worthwhile. With its thoughtful displays, spacious layout, and comprehensive storytelling, it’s a great place for both history lovers and casual visitors who want to understand Chongqing beyond its food...

Four floors of hot China action.

To get to this museum take the green line to Zengjiayan and walk through the long tunnel. You'll get to a square with dance groups, and the museum is right there.

The bottom floor has an exhibit about the 3 gorges region of the Yangtze River. The exhibit is not particularly focused and covers everything from wildlife in the area to the types of rock in the gorges. This exhibit was one of the only ones with some English.

Other exhibits in the museum include ceramics, calligraphy, minority populations in China, and coins from China's past. Most only in Chinese.

Actually the coolest for me was on the top floor. It detailed the life of a Dutch diplomat who studied Chinese in the early 1900s and eventually married a Chongqing lady. He seemed to have lived an...

The dome shaped China Three Gorges Museum is free to public, and it displays four main themes for educational, research and preservation purposes. You can learn the ancient Ba-Yu culture and history, early Chongqing and the epic Three Gorges Dam. The museum also has a large collection of relics and artifacts, and all are the original versions.

Entrance is free, however you need to pre-register online and generate a QR code for the security guard to scan upon entering. The museum is very popular among domestic tourists too, so be prepared to wait in line for the checking of tickets and also security screening. Suggested time is 1-2 hours depending on how detailed you wanna read the descriptions of the artifacts. Most of it is in...