These two museums are located on the eastern side of Tian'anmen Square, opposite the Great Hall of the People.

The building that houses the museums was one of ten famous structures built in 1959 to mark the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.

The Museum of Chinese History is in the South Wing while the North Wing houses the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. They were both opened to the public in 1961. The complex has a total floor space of 65,000 square meters filled with interesting exhibits.

The Museum of Chinese History displays three main periods of Chinese history. The first, Primitive Society, ranges from 500,000 B.C. to 4,000 B.C. The exhibits in the Slave Society section cover the time from 2,100 B.C. to 475 B.C. The Feudal Society exhibits focus on the period from 221 B. C to 1911.

The Museum of the Chinese Revolution emphasizes the history of the past 150 years, in particular the history of the Communist Party of China. It is divided into three sections.

The exhibits in the Old Democratic Revolution section cover the period from 1840-1911. Events between 1911 and 1949 fall into the New Democratic Revolution section. The third section is entitled "The Triumph of the Revolution and the Establishment of Socialism" and covers events after 1949.