Shenyang Science and Technology Museum

Shenyang Science and Technology Museum

The Shenyang Science and Technology Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a patriotic education base.

The Shenyang Science and Technology Museum was opened to the public on June 18, 2000. Covering an area of 36,000 square meters with a building area of 40,000 square meters, it serves four main functions: science popularization exhibitions, conferences and exhibitions, exchange and training, and high-tech entertainment.

Since its opening, the museum has organized a wide range of distinctive science popularization exhibitions, hosted various youth science and technology innovation competitions, undertaken numerous temporary science exhibitions, and conducted activities such as science winter and summer camps, science training courses, and junior science counselor training programs. These have been well received and highly praised by the general public and young people. To date, it has welcomed nearly 4 million visitors, about 70% of whom are minors and 30% are adults. Its service area covers all 16 districts, counties, and cities in the municipality, as well as most parts of Liaoning Province. On July 1, 2005, the museum’s science exhibition hall began offering free admission to minors. As a large-scale, modern science education base with significant influence in the Liaoning-Shenyang region, the museum plays an important role in disseminating scientific thinking, promoting the spirit of science, popularizing scientific and technological knowledge, and improving the scientific literacy of the public among both the general population and young people. It has become a fertile ground for fostering innovation and nurturing innovative talent. The museum has been awarded titles and honors such as “National Youth Science and Technology Education Base,” “National Youth Off-Campus Activity Demonstration Base,” “National Advanced Collective in Science Popularization Work,” “Liaoning Provincial Patriotic Education Base,” and “National AAAA-Level Tourist Attraction.” It has also received the Illumination Award and the Pioneer Award from the national science and technology museum community.

The Science Exhibition Hall of the Shenyang Science and Technology Museum consists of sections including Sensation and Illusion, Mechanical Wonders, Sound, Light, Magnetism, and Electricity, Mechanical Transmission, Robotics, Information Technology, Aerospace, Mathematics, and the Earthquake Prevention and Disaster Reduction Science Popularization Pavilion. The permanent exhibition area spans 8,600 square meters and features over 200 exhibits, the vast majority of which are interactive and can be operated by visitors, making them especially popular with the public, particularly young people. The newly renovated sections on the first floor—including Sensation and Illusion, Mechanical Wonders, Sound, Light, Magnetism, and Electricity, and Mechanical Transmission—were upgraded in January 2012. The Robotics and Information Technology sections on the second floor underwent a complete renovation in 2013. The Earthquake Prevention and Disaster Reduction Science Popularization Pavilion, built in collaboration with the Municipal Seismological Bureau, covers an area of 1,300 square meters and is the largest and foremost earthquake-themed science exhibition in Northeast China and among the best in the nation. Since its opening, it has welcomed over 100,000 visitors. In 2012, it was awarded the title of “National Earthquake Prevention and Disaster Reduction Science Popularization Education Base” by the China Earthquake Administration.

The museum’s special-effect science theaters include a dome theater and a 4D theater. The dome theater was built in 2000 and is equipped with internationally advanced technology, featuring a screen with a diameter of 23 meters, covering a total area of nearly 1,000 square meters, with a movie display area of over 800 square meters. It can accommodate 260 viewers. The dome theater screens two films per year and holds an average of more than 500 screenings annually. The 4D theater was converted from the original motion theater in 2009. It features a flat 16:9 screen that is 9 meters wide, making it the largest 4D screen in Liaoning Province, and is equipped with 50 seats, hosting nearly 1,000 screenings per year on average. In 2013, a digital planetarium system was added to the dome theater, introducing digital celestial projection functionality and establishing an observatory.

The South Building Temporary Science Exhibition Hall covers an area of 15,400 square meters and hosts exhibitions and events such as provincial and municipal science and technology week activities, temporary science popularization exhibitions, major cultural events, and job fairs. In recent years, it has hosted multiple openings and exhibitions during the city’s Science and Technology Week, including displays on new energy, marine life, interactive art, and marine habitats.

Looking back on the years gone by, the Shenyang Science and Technology Museum has kept pace with the times under the attention of society, the care of leaders, and the hard work of science and technology professionals. Guided by the spirit of innovation, it has strived in practice, advanced together with society, and continuously innovated. Looking to the present and the future, the museum will continue to fulfill its role as a science education base, comprehensively enhance its facilities and services, contribute to Shenyang’s goal of becoming a National Civilized City, and work diligently to cultivate more innovative talent.