Cai Yuanpei, the first preparatory president of the council of the museum, proposed building three major halls, named "Humanity," "Craft" and "Nature".

[5] During the Japanese invasion, part of its collections were transferred to Southwest China, and in the end moved to the National Palace Museum in Taipei when the Kuomintang lost the Chinese Civil War.

[citation needed] The main building was designed by Liang Sicheng in the 1930s combining Chinese and Western architectural styles.

Added in the 1990s to the west of the main building is an art hall which references Chinese architecture of the first half of the 20th century.

A highlight of the collection is a full-size suit of armor made from small jade tiles held together by silver wire.