Beijing's chocolate museum now a new sweet landmark

A chocolate museum has become a new "sweet" landmark in Beijing. Near Beijing's iconic Qianmen Commercial Street, the museum combines chocolate with local Beijing culture to give visitors a visual treat.​

About 50 tons of chocolate were used for the museum's exhibits. These include four major pieces: a Chinese dragon, traditional Chinese roof ridges, a caisson ceiling and Beijing's central axis, plus smaller items like a chocolate replica of the Ming Dynasty's Nine-Dragon and Nine-Phoenix Crown, a famous imperial empress crown.​

The 22-ton chocolate Chinese dragon stands out – it's made of white chocolate, crafted with sculpture and spray painting to look like stone. The chocolate central axis condenses iconic buildings – Yongdingmen, Zhengyangmen, Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, Jingshan and the Bell and Drum Towers – into an 8-meter-long scroll, in real proportion.​

Besides the exhibits, the museum has a DIY area and a sales section. Here, you can find chocolate products modeled after the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall, as well as hand-painted animal-shaped chocolate lollipops by craftsmen.