Chairman Mao Zedong inscribed the name of the museum, and on August 1, 1960, officially opened to the public on the Armed Forces Day.

[4] The museum was comprehensively reconstructed in 2012-2017 and reopened with a larger central hall that hosts a display of aircraft and missiles.

The Hall's extensive holdings of antiquated weaponry showcase domestic and foreign weapons, including blades, small arms, artillery, tanks, armored personnel carriers, anti-air weaponry, jet fighters, rockets and rocket launchers, and cruise missiles.

In addition, the Hall of Weapons displays equipment from China's space program, such as satellites and a two-seat orbital capsule.

With two exceptions, the other halls are largely historical exhibits, combining plaster sculptures, maps, paintings, artifacts, movies, and plaques (in Chinese, with select ones translated into English).