Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall

Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall

The Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall serves as a science education base.

The Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall is located within the Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant in Beijing’s Chaoyang District. It is China’s first science education venue primarily dedicated to introducing knowledge about water pollution control and water environment protection.

The exhibition hall spans a total area of about 1,500 square meters and centers around the themes of “water resource scarcity, worsening water pollution, and water treatment knowledge.” Through a variety of formats—including extensive textual materials, photo displays, physical models, electronic visual presentations, and interactive games—it introduces visitors to the relationship between humans and water, water resource shortages, water pollution, and how to address such pollution. The main exhibits include the Drainage Science Exhibition Hall, science education films, demonstrations of the ecological park for wastewater resource reuse, and on-site tours of the wastewater treatment plant.

The exhibition hall also features an environmental classroom, electronic touch screens, and more, providing in-depth introductions to water resources, water pollution, and the basics of wastewater treatment. Visitors can gain an intuitive understanding of Beijing’s water environment and wastewater treatment through guided explanations, helping to foster awareness of water environment protection.

The Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall is a science venue primarily focused on promoting knowledge about “water pollution control, water environment protection, and water resource development.” It was self-funded and is operated by Beijing Drainage Group Co., Ltd. Since its opening, the hall has made full use of its resource advantages to actively carry out various forms of public education and environmental science activities related to water environments, achieving notable social benefits.

I. Proactively Shouldering Social Responsibility by Establishing Environmental Education Facilities

Beijing Drainage Group has consistently regarded conducting environmental education around water issues as part of its corporate social responsibility. For years, enterprises under the group, including the Beijing Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant, have hosted tens of thousands of visitors from all walks of life. To further meet the public's desire to learn about wastewater treatment, Beijing Drainage Group invested in building China’s first drainage science exhibition hall along with supporting facilities, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of environmental education and winning acclaim from all sectors, especially primary and secondary schools and their teachers and students.

The Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall is situated within the Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant—the largest of its kind in China. The exhibition space covers 2,000 square meters, supplemented by a 700-square-meter ecological garden showcasing achievements in wastewater resource reuse and a 300-square-meter science education theater. Together with on-site visits to the Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant, the facility can accommodate hundreds of visitors simultaneously.

To ensure smooth operation of the exhibition hall, the group established a dedicated management body—the Beijing Drainage Group Technical Training Center—and specially trained guides and youth volunteers. The operating funds for the exhibition hall are directly allocated by the Drainage Group.

II. Highlighting Wastewater Treatment Science with Clear and Accessible Content

The content of the Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall centers on the themes of “water environment governance, water resource development and utilization, and the popularization of water treatment knowledge.” Using vivid and comprehensive graphic displays, physical models, electronic visuals, and interactive games, it provides a thorough, concrete, and lively introduction to the close relationship between humans and water, the shortage of available freshwater resources, the growing harm caused by worsening water pollution, and the efforts and achievements made by Beijing in controlling water pollution, protecting the water environment, and developing water resources. At the same time, it introduces technologies such as wastewater treatment and reclaimed water use in simple and understandable ways, promoting the significance of water conservation, water environment protection, and energy saving.

Supporting facilities—the Wastewater Resource Reuse Ecological Garden—demonstrate the achievements and knowledge related to the recycling and reuse of resources such as reclaimed water, sludge fertilizer, and water-source heat pumps.

Supplementary content includes the wastewater treatment science film Introduction to Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant and the animated short The Adventures of a Little Water Drop, which help popularize basic knowledge of wastewater treatment processes and the importance of water resource protection.

Supplementary visits allow guests to step into a modern wastewater treatment plant and directly observe the process of transforming dirty water into clean water, as well as the production and use of reclaimed water.

The Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall and its supporting facilities offer rich content, novel formats, and a strong emphasis on science education, receiving widespread praise from domestic and international visitors.

III. Deepening Environmental Knowledge with Diverse Science Activities

In addition to regular visitor receptions, the Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall has actively organized a variety of diverse and enriching environmental science activities, achieving positive results.

Free distribution of environmental education materials. The hall produces and freely distributes materials such as introductions to wastewater treatment plants and environmental protection calendars to educate the public about water environment protection and encourage participation in social environmental efforts.

Organizing children’s environmental art competitions. In collaboration with environmental organizations such as Veolia Water (France) and Greenway Environmental Culture Center (an NGO), the hall has hosted children’s environmental art competitions. By organizing visits to environmental facilities like wastewater treatment plants, inviting environmental experts to give school lectures, and observing environmental issues in communities, children are encouraged to reflect existing environmental problems through their artwork and propose imaginative solutions. Over 400 elementary school students participated, creating more than 80 artworks, with award-winning pieces sent to UNESCO.

Hosting Citizens’ Open Days. Leveraging World Environment Day on June 5, the hall organizes interested citizens to visit the exhibition hall and wastewater treatment plant via media announcements. These visits introduce Beijing’s wastewater treatment achievements, the completion of Olympic water pollution control goals, and knowledge about wastewater treatment and reclaimed water use.

Organizing environmental summer camps and science winter camps. In partnership with the Xicheng District Science and Technology Museum, the hall has co-hosted three summer and winter camps during school holidays. Activities include visits to environmental facilities such as wastewater and garbage treatment plants; learning methods for detecting water pollutants, environmental noise, and pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables; and lectures by experts in space breeding, spacecraft research, microbiology, and animal protection.

Conducting environmental education activities with schools for migrant workers’ children. During annual science weeks, the hall collaborates with some schools for children of migrant workers to organize the “Little Hands Holding Big Hands to Build a Harmonious Water Environment” campaign. Children are given free tours, form “Little Guardians of the Environment” action teams, receive “Environmental Guardian Action Sheets,” and are encouraged to sign pledges such as “Love Beijing, our second hometown, and contribute to the capital’s environmental protection together with mom and dad,” extending environmental education to migrant worker communities via children.

Promoting environmental knowledge in parks and communities. The hall produces wastewater treatment science slides and brochures, and organizes youth volunteers to promote water environment knowledge and its importance in parks and nearby communities during holidays.

Building a youth off-campus environmental research base. With support from the Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Beijing’s first corporate off-campus environmental research base for youth was established. The base’s facilities are used to run science winter camps and mentor three elementary and middle school students who participated in the Beijing Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition, one of whom won first prize at the municipal level.

Hosting National Science Week events. Utilizing the spacious grounds of the Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant and the rich resources of the science exhibition hall, the venue supported the main event of the 2007 National Science Week. It received over 8,000 visitors, including central leaders, and earned widespread acclaim.

Over the past three years of operation, the Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall has welcomed over 30,000 domestic and international visitors, 80% of whom are primary, secondary, and university students. It is now recognized as a National Industrial Tourism Demonstration Site, a Beijing Youth Foreign Affairs Exchange Base, a Beijing and Chaoyang District Science Education Base, and a featured activity destination for multiple travel agencies and schools. The Beijing Drainage Science Popularization Exhibition Hall has become an exceptional venue for environmental science education, focusing on water environment protection, promoting energy-saving and emission-reduction achievements, and popularizing wastewater treatment knowledge.