20 Amazing Virtual Museum Tours in China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan

March 22, 2020/Last Updated February 16, 2023

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Experience the best museums from China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan in the comfort of your own home.

With Google Arts & Culture’s collections, you get “go to the museum” and never have to leave your home.

The best of Asian art and history right at your fingertips: the Museum of Ethnic Cultures in Beijing, ancient treasures from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, or the finest pieces of modern art at the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo – you won’t get bored with these 20 amazing virtual museum tours!

Museum of Ethnic Cultures, Minzu University of China, Beijing

This museum is dedicated to preserving the unique cultures and traditions of the 56 ethnic groups in China. On over 4,800 square meters, over 40,000 pieces of cultural relics are showcased giving visitors an in-depth glimpse into Chinese ethnic tools, religious beliefs, costumes, music and more. Check out the virtual tours of the Museum of Ethnic Cultures in Beijing here.

UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing

UCCA Center for Contemporary Art sits in the heart of Beijing’s 798 Art District and is China’s leading contemporary art institution and presents a variety of exhibitions, public programs, and research initiatives to more than one million visitors each year. They constantly update their online platform with their exhibitions for virtual tours.

China Paper Cutting Museum, Yangzhou

Dive deep into China’s proud history of paper cutting with virtual tours at the China Paper Cutting Museum in Yangzhou online. Follow the journey from paper to art step-by-step with some of the most talented paper cutters in China and learn about the beauty and history of this unmatched intangible heritage.

Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan

Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan is one of the most comprehensive museums in China and one of only eight museums supported by the national government. The museum displays more than 200,000 relics and artifacts, boasts a large garden and prides itself with a permanent exhibition on the Chu kingdom (770-476 BC). Virtual museum tours of Hubei Provincial Museum are available here.

Long Museum West Bund, Shanghai

The Long Museum West Bund is the largest private museum in China and, together with the Long Museum Pudong, boasts the richest collection of artifacts nationwide. If you appreciate both ancient and modern Asian art, the virtual tour of the collection of Long Museum West Bund is a must-see!

Virtual Museum Tours in Korea

National Museum of Korea, Seoul

Those looking to explore the essence of Korean culture and arts, should check out the virtual exhibitions of the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. From early Paleolithic artifacts, over celadon craftsmanship of the Goryeo Dynasty and paintings of the Joseon Dynasty to modern art collections, this museum has got it all.

National Folk Museum of Korea, Seoul

The National Folk Museum of Korea perfectly showcases daily life and culture of Korea. This museum located in Seoul is visited by more than 2 million people every year and provides excellent virtual tours you can take from the comfort of your home! Check out the online exhibitions here.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza, DDP, Seoul

Designed by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid, DDP Design Plaza stands for “Dream, Design, Play”. It is a hub for creativity, culture and unique design in the heart of Seoul and lets you dive into its exhibitions on their online platform.

Jeju Provincial Self-governing Haenyeo Museum

Haenyeo are unique to Jeju Islands in Korea and various islands in Japan. These women divers gather seaweed, abalone, or other shellfish without any air tanks or modern equipment from the sea. The best place to learn about this unique (and dying) profession is the Haenyeo Museum on Jeju Island. The virtual exhibitions offer a great insight into what Haenyeo are all about.

Cheongju Early Printing Museum

This museum is located in my Korean hometown of Cheongju and focuses on Korea’s old printing culture. The museum was built in a historically significant location on the site of Heungdeoksa Temple, where the world’s oldest extant book printed with movable metal type, called Jikji, was printed 78 years prior to Johannes Gutenberg‘s “42-Line Bible”. Their online exhibition perfectly showcases the invention of the movable metal type for printing.

Ehwa Woman’s University Museum, Seoul

Founded in 1935, Ehwa Woman’s University Museum is one of the oldest museums in Seoul. The collection is continuously expanding and the museum is always extending the museum building. The museum gives a very detailed glimpse into Korean culture and history through exhibitions such as on Goryeo Celadon, Korean footwear and clothing, and furniture. Check out the online exhibitions here.

Virtual Museum Tours in Japan

National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

Since 1952, the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo has been showcasing some of the finest contemporary art in Japan. The virtual museum tour is incredibly well curated and opens doors to the finest pieces of art in Japan’s history.

The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka

As a sucker for antique Asian porcelain, this is one of my favorite virtual museum tours around. Founded in 1982, the Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka showcases more than a thousand pieces of Japanese, Chinese and Korean ceramics. The online exhibitions offer a great glimpse into the world of oriental ceramics that anyone will enjoy.

Shohaku Art Museum, Nara

The mission of this museum is to introduce the artworks of Uemura family, which has played an important role in raising awareness of Japanese-style paintings around the world. If idyllic Japanese landscapes and portraits of Japanese men and women in traditional wear is your kind of jam, this virtual tour is for you!

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima

One of the most interesting historic museums, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, also offers virtual museum tours. The collection includes belongings left by victims, as well as photos, and other evidence that convey the horror of one of the most horrific nuclear bombings in human history.

The Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts, Kyoto

The Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts focuses on a variety of handicrafts native to the Kyoto region. With over 500 artifacts from more than 70 different categories, this is a very comprehensive museum. If you are interested in things like the history of making and wearing a kimono, kimono poetry patterns or ceramic tiles and pipes, check out their virtual exhibitions now.

Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, Sakura

Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art opened in Sakura City, Chiba prefecture in 1990, and has been showcasing works of art by international masters ever since. Works by world-famous painters, including Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, Malevich, Cornell and Rembrandt dominate the collection that is also available in virtual exhibitions online.

Virtual Museum Tours in Taiwan

National Palace Museum, Taiwan

The National Palace Museum in Taiwan has one of the largest collections of Chinese art worldwide. Visitors can appreciate nearly 700,000 artifacts covering thousands of years of history and treasures from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing imperial dynasties. Check out their virtual exhibitions to learn more.

Fubon Art Foundation, Taipei

Since 1997, it has been the goal of Fubon Art Foundation in Taipei to make art more accessible to the public. Fubon makes this possible not only through art exhibitions, but also with lectures, publications, as well as art & design merchandise. Check out their incredible online exhibition for some of the most fun and colorful art pieces out there.

National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung

On 9 hectares and over 5 independent venues, the National Museum of Natural Science currently runs 50 permanent exhibitions on subjects like astronomy, space science, paleontology, ecology, gems and minerals, human cultures, tropical plants, and geology. This is one of the most visited museums in all of Taiwan and also runs virtual museum tours online.

Which Exhibition Are you Most Interested In?

I hope that these 20 virtual museum tours in China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan are going to make this time of social-distancing and self-quarantining a little more bearable.

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Linda

Linda has been living in Asia since 2012 and loves sharing her travel and life experiences on her website. She currently works remotely in Online Marketing and also teaches various English classes in South Korea.