China Typhoon Museum

China Typhoon Museum

The China Typhoon Museum serves as both a science education base and a patriotic education base.

The China Typhoon Museum is China’s first meteorological disaster-themed museum focused on “typhoons.” It is situated in the area of the Kaomen Dam on the northern part of Daishan County’s main island, which is hailed as the “No.1 Typhoon Defense Dam of Zhejiang.” The museum was initially built in early 2003, with its Phase I exhibition hall officially opened to the public on December 10 of the same year, and Phase II completed and opened on September 23, 2006. The museum has a total construction area of 2,265 square meters, including the Phase I Science Exhibition Hall, Phase II 4D Dynamic Cinema, Wind Science Entertainment Gaming Area, and Meteorological Disaster Prevention Science Entertainment Area. It has hosted over 80,000 domestic and international visitors, including many notable public figures, among which more than 70,000 are primary, middle, and high school students. The museum has played a positive role in promoting marine culture and advancing the development of both material and spiritual civilization, generating significant social benefits.

Patriotic Education Significance of the China Typhoon Museum

The China Typhoon Museum boasts a rich oceanic meteorological cultural heritage. The main site, the Kaomen Dam and Kaomen Seawall,

bear witness to the long-standing history of typhoon prevention and homeland defense by the island’s military and civilians, showcasing the wisdom and strength of the Chinese people. The Phase I main building had a total investment of over 5 million RMB, covers an area of more than 5,000 square meters, and has a construction area of 1,065 square meters. Its architectural form resembles three flags fluttering in the wind, symbolizing the fighting spirit and striving determination of 200,000 Daishan residents, under the leadership of the county Party committee and government, in disaster prevention, mitigation, and the building of a marine garden city. It also evokes the image of three warships advancing side by side, representing the bold and courageous momentum of Daishan Island County as it surges forward in the tide of marine cultural development. The museum’s name, inscribed by Academician Chen Lianshou, Vice President of the China Meteorological Society and an internationally renowned typhoon expert from Zhoushan, stands out prominently. The main building has two floors: the first floor is the exhibition hall, divided into five major sections—Special Care, Typhoon Knowledge, Typhoon Hazards, Typhoon Prevention and Disaster Relief, and Typhoon Research. It is equipped with electronic touch screens, video projection systems, and cyclone simulators, comprehensively displaying famous wind disaster cases from ancient to modern times, both in China and abroad, typhoon knowledge, and historical accounts of how China’s Party, government, military, and civilians have fought against typhoons. Through the use of graphic materials, physical models, and video footage, the museum provides vivid and detailed science education and patriotic education to visitors, raising public awareness of the dangers posed by natural meteorological disasters such as typhoons, and highlighting the importance and practical significance of typhoon prevention and disaster mitigation. The second floor is the observation deck, housing an automatic wave observation station, a six-element automatic weather station, and a data reception system for the Zhoushan Doppler next-generation weather radar, among other high-tech facilities. These facilities have largely met the operational standards of a municipal-level meteorological observatory and can support the needs of science education and patriotic education. The planned Phase II project has entered the design bidding stage, and its main components consist of a 4D cinema and an indoor simulated typhoon experience system called “Experiencing a Typhoon.” The Phase II section of the China Typhoon Museum allows visitors to immerse themselves in the experience of a typhoon around the clock, experiencing its ferocity, danger, and wonder. Through participatory and interactive games, visitors can deepen their understanding of typhoon basics and meteorological disasters.

Patriotic Education Base Exhibition Area

The museum currently houses a large collection of physical exhibits and graphic materials, including historical anemometers, crank-operated computers, storm warning wind balls, and models of classical Western meteorological instruments. The museum grounds feature beautiful natural landscapes, such as the Yanwo Stone Bamboo Shoots scenic spot, the Linghou Panɡui natural wonder, and the Shenɡui Xunhai island reef spectacle. Entertainment activities such as shell collecting on tidal flats, playing in shallow waters, going out to sea to fish, and beach barbecues are highly engaging. The China Typhoon Museum has been successively named a county-level and municipal-level patriotic education base, a red tourism attraction of Zhoushan City, a county-level and municipal-level science education base, and in 2006, it was designated as a Zhejiang Provincial Science Education Base and a National Meteorological Science Education Base. In 2008, it was named one of the first national cultural construction demonstration sites by the Publicity Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee.

Implementation of Patriotic Education

The China Typhoon Museum has long been committed to promoting patriotic education themed on the “spirit of typhoon resistance” and conducting meteorological disaster prevention science outreach, striving to enhance the patriotic ideology and disaster prevention awareness of island residents, especially primary and secondary school students, achieving remarkable results. The development of the two bases has been widely reported by major media outlets, including China Central Television. The Typhoon Museum currently offers free admission to special groups such as primary and secondary school students, model workers, active-duty military personnel, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. It has established campus partnership programs with Gaoting Central Primary School and Dongsha Primary School in Daishan County, assigning counselors and appointing young researchers from the China Typhoon Museum to carry out a variety of educational activities. The museum has also formed a community partnership with Gaoting Zhakou Yi Village, inviting veteran fishermen and model workers to share stories of the island’s military-civilian typhoon resistance spirit, actively providing interpretation, publicity, and educational services to young visitors.

Patriotic spirit education is an important component of socialist spiritual civilization. We will continue to earnestly practice the “-important thought,” in line with the overall goal of building Zhejiang into a province rich in marine culture. We will continuously improve our educational outreach, expand and enrich educational content, keep pace with the times, think innovatively, and steadfastly carry out patriotic spirit education.