New York, USA | Metropolitan Museum of Art 2-hour guided tour in Chinese (admission included) | Asian Art Gallery / Egyptian Gallery / Western Painting Gallery / American Gallery / Armory Gallery

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art Collection plays a unique role, showcasing the artistic achievements of six major cultural traditions spanning five thousand years of history, representing half the world's population, more than twenty modern countries, and a vast region stretching from Afghanistan, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia across the Himalayas to China, Korea, and Japan. With over 35,000 works spanning from the third millennium BC to the twenty-first century, the Metropolitan Museum's Asian Art Collection is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive collections. The numerous civilizations of Asia are presented in outstanding works, offering visitors an unparalleled experience of understanding nearly half the world's artistic traditions.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Egyptian Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art boasts the largest collection of ancient Egyptian art outside of Cairo. Approximately 36,000 items on display include artworks, historical artifacts, and culturally significant objects, spanning from the Paleolithic to Roman Egypt. In response to growing public interest in ancient Egyptian culture since 1906, the museum embarked on a 35-year archaeological expedition in Egypt. More than half of the collection originates from these excavations. Today, almost the entire collection is displayed chronologically across 32 galleries and 8 research galleries. Overall, the collection reflects aesthetic values, history, religious beliefs, and the daily lives of ancient Egyptians.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art—Western Paintings: The Met's collection of European Paintings comprises over 2,500 works of art from the 13th to the early 20th century. In addition to the museum's galleries, the Robert Ryman Collection, the Jack and Bell Linsky Collection, the Fifth Avenue Gallery, and other departments, as well as the Met Abbey, also hold numerous paintings. Besides masterpieces by diverse artists such as Jan van Eyck, Caravaggio, and Gustave Klimt, the Met boasts a rich collection of early Italian and Nordic art, as well as one of the world's greatest collections of 17th-century Dutch paintings, including outstanding works by Frans Hals, Rembrandt, and Johannes Vermeer. The museum's collection of El Greco and Goya is among the finest outside of Spain. Its 19th-century French painting gallery boasts a collection second only to the major museums in Paris, showcasing in depth the works of masters such as Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent van Gogh.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art—American Wing: In the 75 galleries across three floors of the American Wing, you can appreciate a rich tapestry of art, design, and culture from the mid-17th to the mid-20th centuries, including some contemporary works by artists from diverse backgrounds throughout North America. Since its founding in 1924, the curatorial department has grown to include approximately 20,000 works of art in various media, encompassing works by African American, Asian American, European American, Latino, and Native American artists, enriching the understanding of American art and identity. This diverse collection includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, furniture, textiles, clothing, ceramics, basketry, glassware, silverware, metalwork, jewelry, as well as historic interior decoration and architectural components. The artists range from highly skilled to self-taught, including both established and undocumented figures. The Charles Engelhard Courtyard displays magnificent sculptures, stained glass, and architectural components; the courtyard balconies showcase silverware, goldware, glassware, and ceramics. The exhibition explores the narrative style of American vernacular architecture and furniture through twenty historic indoor galleries or era rooms. Paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and textiles are displayed in rotation within the galleries.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art—Arms Collection: Weapons and armor are among the museum's most popular collections. On the ground floor, the collection is displayed in a unique "parade" of armored figures on horseback, creating the most recognizable impression in the museum's arms and armor galleries. The department focuses on "exquisite craftsmanship and decoration," with these decorative items intended solely for display and not for practical use. While the collection is concentrated in late medieval Europe and Japan, spanning from the 4th century BC to the 19th century, it does not merely showcase the cultures represented by weapons and armor; its collection spans a wider geographical area than almost any other department, including Egypt, ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the ancient Near East, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, as well as 19th and 20th-century American firearms (particularly the Colt). Of the more than 15,000 artifacts, the majority were used by kings and princes, including armor belonging to Henry VIII of England, Henry II of France, and Ferdinand I of Germany.

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