China Bee Museum

China Bee Museum

The China Bee Museum is located at the western side of the Reclining Buddha Temple within the Beijing Botanical Garden at the foot of the famous Xiangshan scenic area in Beijing. It is surrounded by rolling hills, lush vegetation, and blooming flowers. The museum building is a single-story traditional Chinese-style structure with an area of 180 square meters.

The museum was first established in July 1993, when the 33rd International Apicultural Congress—the largest international academic conference in the agricultural sector since the founding of the People’s Republic of China—was to be held in Beijing. To showcase the long history and development achievements of China’s beekeeping industry to participants from around the world, the museum was initiated with strong support from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Chinese Beekeeping Association. It was built under the responsibility of the Bee Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences as China’s first bee museum.

The China Bee Museum is a natural science museum established with social support and based at a research institution (the Bee Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences). Its mission is to promote public awareness and knowledge of bee science and the health benefits of bee products, and to serve as a base for biological science education for young people.

Bees possess highly developed “social” survival instincts. The main members of a bee colony—worker bees—are diligent, selfless, cooperative, and even willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the group. Different types of members within the colony depend on and regulate one another, maintaining and promoting the survival and reproduction of the species. Even more astonishingly, these thoughtless bees can communicate information through precise “dance” language and can collaborate to build hexagonal honeycombs with the most optimal mechanical structure...

The China Bee Museum is a natural science museum established with social support and based at a research institution (the Bee Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences). Its mission is to promote public awareness and knowledge of bee science and the health benefits of bee products, and to serve as a base for biological science education for young people.

The Bee Museum hosts a year-round science exhibition themed “Bees Are Friends of Humanity.” The exhibition hall covers an area of 150 square meters and is divided into three rooms, displaying 506 pictures and charts, as well as over 700 specimens, models, and objects. The exhibits cover the origin and evolution of bees, the history of beekeeping in ancient China, bees in culture and the arts, China’s bee and nectar plant resources, the biology of bees and the production of bee products, bees’ role in crop pollination and yield increase, the health benefits of bee products and apitherapy, the development achievements of China’s beekeeping industry, an overview of the global beekeeping industry, and international scientific exchanges.

Visiting the Bee Museum is like wandering through a “Bee Kingdom.” You can see ancient bee fossils and the historical connection between bees and human life and culture. From rock paintings of ancient people collecting wild honey from cliffs 6,000–7,000 years ago, primitive beehives, to modern beekeeping tools, you can learn about the development of beekeeping techniques. You can view different bee species of varying sizes and shapes and the rare, massive hives of wild giant honeybees, and uncover the fascinating biological traits and social behaviors of the “Bee Kingdom,” such as the intriguing round dance and waggle dance, as well as the dramatic backstory of “killer bees” and how bees have earned the title “wings of agriculture” through their pollination benefits. You can also learn about the health benefits of various bee products, along with methods for storage, identification, and consumption, and consult on issues related to the health benefits of bee products.

The China Bee Museum is a natural science museum established with social support and based at a research institution (the Bee Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences). Its mission is to promote public awareness and knowledge of bee science and the health benefits of bee products, and to serve as a base for biological science education for young people.

Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development