Nantong Museum. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

Four museums in Nantong, Jiangsu province, have recently been listed among China's 100 most popular museums in the first quarter of this year by Museum News, the main media of the Chinese museum industry.

Nantong Museum (ranked 8th), the first public museum in China, was established in 1905 by Zhang Jian (1853-1926), a renowned patriot, industrial magnate, educator, and philanthropist in Nantong. Free to the public, the museum offers permanent exhibitions about ancient civilization in Nantong and its history as well as a wide variety of temporary exhibitions.

Hai'an Museum. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

Hai'an Museum (18th) was established in 1906 based on the former residence of Han Guojun (1857-1942), governor of Jiangsu province for two terms. The 8,500-square-meter structure is a well-preserved and typical building complex following the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) style. By organizing distinctive activities, the museum receives about 300,000 visitors each year.

Jianghai Museum. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

Open to the public since 2018, Jianghai Museum (27th) is built in a style of typical Haimen residence called "siting zhaigou", or quadrangle courtyard surrounded by water, which features courtyards, stone bridges, and rivers in addition to dwellings. The cultural facility is the only of its kind in China to show Jianghai Culture.

Li Changyu Criminal Investigation Museum. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

In 2016, Li Changyu, a renowned forensic scientist, donated his collected books and archival documents to his hometown of Rugao to establish the first criminal investigation-themed museum in the world – the Li Changyu Criminal Investigation Museum (28th). In the ensuing years, the museum has received nearly 3 million visitors from over 50 countries.