Beijing Natural History Museum

Beijing Natural History Museum

The Beijing Natural History Museum is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a patriotic education base.

The Beijing Natural History Museum is located in the Tianqiao area along the central axis of southern Beijing. It sits against the Temple of Heaven Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and faces the modern Tianqiao Theater, offering a unique cultural environment. Originally established as the Preparatory Office of the Central Natural History Museum in April 1951, it was officially named the Beijing Natural History Museum in 1962.

The Beijing Natural History Museum is the first large-scale natural history museum built independently by New China. It is primarily engaged in the collection of specimens, scientific research, and science education in fields such as paleontology, zoology, botany, and anthropology. The museum has been designated as a "National Youth Science and Technology Education Base" by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and a "Beijing Patriotic Education Base" by the Beijing Municipal Government. It was also named a "Science and Peace Education Base" by the UNESCO China Committee. In 2009, it was rated as a National First-Class Museum by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Beijing Natural History Museum

The Beijing Natural History Museum covers an area of 12,000 square meters, with a building area of 24,000 square meters and an exhibition area of 8,000 square meters. Among its buildings, the most mysterious is the "Tian Jiabing Building." This specimen building, jointly invested in by Hong Kong industrialist Mr. Tian Jiabing and the Beijing Municipal Government, houses over 200,000 specimens. Many of these specimens are rare both nationally and internationally, including the world-famous fossil skull of the ancient Yellow River elephant, the 26-meter-long giant fossils of the Jingshan Mamenchisaurus, China’s only dinosaur mummy fossil, polar bears, rhinos, and more. The museum also houses gift specimens presented to Chinese national leaders by friends from around the world, such as the rare Latimeria specimen gifted by the President of Comoros during his visit to China to Comrade -, the Asian elephant specimen given to Comrade Mao Zedong by President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam in the early years, and the crocodile specimen forwarded by Comrade -. Among the more precious items is the moa skeleton specimen gifted by the Canterbury Museum of New Zealand. This giant bird, once native to Earth, went extinct in 1885, and this specimen is the only moa skeleton preserved in China.

To better showcase these precious specimens to the public, the Beijing Natural History Museum’s permanent exhibitions focus on the theme of biological evolution, displaying biodiversity and the relationship between organisms and their environments. Together, they present a panoramic view of life’s development on Earth. The paleontology exhibition hall showcases the origin and early evolution of life. Through the imprints of fossils, visitors can almost see the extinct creatures that once roamed the Earth. These traces of life seem to transport people through time, allowing them to hear the voices of the distant Archean era. The botany exhibition hall reads like a green epic, narrating the evolution of plants over hundreds of millions of years. From aquatic life to plants adapting to land, even the blooming of a flower or the dispersal of a seed holds countless mysteries and raises endless questions. The zoology exhibition hall reveals the secrets of these “friends of humanity,” recreating the world’s most representative wildlife and their habitats to vividly demonstrate the beauty and wonder of the animal kingdom. The human exhibition hall allows us to witness the grand history of human origins. From apes to humans, it took millennia to achieve the form we have today. The birth of a single individual may seem ordinary, yet it showcases the marvels of nature.

The Beijing Natural History Museum is not just a place for dry lectures. With interactive science education activities designed to explore the mysteries of nature based on the psychological characteristics of young people, it has attracted countless young nature enthusiasts. Exhibits like “The Beauty of Animals” and “The World of Dinosaurs” allow children to explore nature and develop a love for science in a joyful and relaxed atmosphere.

In addition to its regular exhibitions, the Beijing Natural History Museum also hosts various temporary thematic exhibitions from time to time. Exhibitions such as “Mammoths,” “Leonardo da Vinci’s Technology,” “The Mysteries of the Human Body,” and the annual “Zodiac Animals” exhibition, which has been running for 12 consecutive years, have had significant impact.

Based in the capital, serving the nation, and looking toward the world, the Beijing Natural History Museum has organized professionally curated exhibitions that have traveled abroad multiple times. The “China Dinosaur Exhibition” has been displayed in numerous countries and regions, including Singapore, Japan, Sweden, Finland, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Italy, and New Caledonia, further enhancing the museum’s international reputation.

To vividly present the wonders of nature to the public, the efforts of researchers behind the scenes are indispensable. The Beijing Natural History Museum boasts a team of scientifically rigorous and energetic researchers, along with laboratories for zoology, botany, and paleontology, as well as a range of advanced instruments and equipment. In recent years, the museum has undertaken over 30 scientific research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation. It has published numerous influential scientific monographs and popular science books, with dozens of papers appearing in core journals.

Leveraging its strengths, the Beijing Natural History Museum regularly organizes distinctive science education activities. It has hosted 14 editions of the Beijing Primary and Secondary School Students’ Biology Knowledge Competition, with nearly 100,000 students participating each year. The museum also organizes various science lectures, biology teachers’ training courses, junior interpreters’ training, as well as popular events like Museum Night, the Little Army Biology Summer Camp, and “Little Hands Holding Big Hands Entering the Natural History Museum,” all of which are beloved by children.

After 2008, the Beijing Natural History Museum began offering free admission to the public. Waves of visitors come to the museum to personally experience the wonders of nature and marvel at the surprises brought by science. Every staff member of the Beijing Natural History Museum is committed to its mission, bringing more voices of nature to the public, bringing science closer to people’s lives, and building a beautiful bridge for dialogue between humanity and nature. Facing new challenges, all members of the Natural History Museum will uphold their mission, innovate with fresh thinking, work diligently, and step by step move toward a brilliant future.

Address: No. 126, Tianqiao South Street, Dongcheng District

Type: Museum

Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 010-67024431

Official website: http://www.bmnh.org.cn/

Opening hours:

9:00–17:00 (Closed on Mondays, last entry at 16:00); hours may be adjusted during school vacations, statutory holidays, and periods of high visitor volume.

Ticket information:

Free admission. Reservations are required and must be made at least one day in advance. Tickets can be reserved for the next day up to 10 days in advance, subject to availability.

Further reading:

· National First-Class Museum of China