Tianjin Natural History Museum

　　The Tianjin Natural History Museum boasts a spacious layout across three floors, featuring permanent exhibition areas, temporary exhibition zones, interactive entertainment sections, and science education spaces. As you enter the exhibition area, you’ll first encounter a grand mural depicting the evolution of life, while a massive pair of “mother and child” Shandong dragon skeletons displayed in the center of the lobby instantly immerse you in the wonders of nature. On the left side of the hall lies China’s first live butterfly garden within a museum, where you can not only admire a kaleidoscope of fluttering butterflies but also observe their transformation from caterpillars to beautiful butterflies—truly experiencing the magic of “metamorphosis.”

　　The highlight is the third-floor exhibition hall, which displays 300 precious specimens of wildlife from around the world, including rare Chinese animal specimens known as the “Qinling Four Treasures”: the crested ibis, giant panda, golden snub-nosed monkey, and takin.

　　The new building of the Tianjin Natural History Museum is located in Tianjin Cultural Center. The museum originated as the Beijiang Museum, established in 1914, and was renamed the Tianjin Natural History Museum in 1957. In 1997, the Tianjin Municipal People's Government funded the reconstruction of the museum, which reopened in 1998. Situated on the original site of the Tianjin Museum, it covers an area of 50,000 square meters, with a total floor space of 35,000 square meters and exhibition space of 14,000 square meters, divided into four sections: permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, interactive entertainment areas, and science education spaces. The museum houses 400,000 biological specimens, including 1,282 first- and second-grade treasures and 1,452 type specimens. The new museum’s exhibitions revolve around the theme of “Home,” making it the first national natural history museum to offer a thematic, unit-based, panoramic display of natural exploration, scientific experience, and science education.

　　The predecessor of the Tianjin Natural History Museum is the Beijiang Museum. Initially called the Yellow River–White River Museum, the Beijiang Museum was founded in 1914 by French Jesuit and zoology doctor Émile Licent (1876–1952), whose Chinese name was Sang Zhihua. Sang worked in China for 25 years (1914–1938), conducting surveys of the humanities, geography, geology, meteorology, and flora and fauna across the vast regions of the Yellow and Haihe river basins. He traveled approximately 50,000 kilometers and collected over 200,000 specimens of paleontology, animals, plants, ancient humans, and minerals. Among these, the completeness and richness of fossil collections from four sites—Qingyang in Gansu, Yushe in Shanxi, Nihewan in Hebei, and Salawusu in Inner Mongolia—are considered world-renowned.

　　In 1922, with funding from the French Catholic Church, the first office building of the Beijiang Museum (the North Building) was constructed. In 1925, the exhibition hall was built adjacent to the office building, and it opened to the public in May 1928. In 1929, the specimen storage building (the South Building) was constructed and completed in 1930, giving the Beijiang Museum its distinctive H-shaped architectural form. Under the direct leadership of Director Sang Zhihua, by 1937 the Beijiang Museum had become a world-renowned institution.

　　In 1937, the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan led to the Japanese occupation of most parts of Northeast, North, and East China, forcing Sang Zhihua to halt his fieldwork. In 1938, after the Japanese occupied Tianjin, Sang returned to France, and the Beijiang Museum largely ceased its excavation and research activities. From 1938 to 1949, the museum remained in a caretaker status.

　　In February 1951, the Beijiang Museum was placed under the administration of the private Jinbu University. In September 1951, the Tianjin Municipal Propaganda Department took over the museum. In June 1952, the Tianjin Municipal People’s Government approved the establishment of the preparatory committee for the Tianjin People’s Science Museum on the foundation of the Beijiang Museum, and in November 1952, the Tianjin People’s Science Museum was officially founded. In June 1957, it was renamed the Tianjin Natural History Museum. In 1959, the exhibition and office premises were relocated to No. 272 Machang Road in Hexi District (formerly the stables of the British racecourse). That same year, Guo Moruo, then Vice Premier of the State Council, Director of the Cultural and Educational Commission, and President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, inscribed the museum’s name. In August 1968, the Tianjin History Museum, Tianjin Art Museum, and Tianjin Natural History Museum merged to form the Tianjin Museum. In December 1973, the individual museums were reinstated, and in January 1974, the museum was renamed the Tianjin Natural History Museum. In 1975, the exhibition rooms were renovated on the original site and reopened in 1978.

　　In 1997, the Tianjin municipal government funded the reconstruction of the Tianjin Natural History Museum on the original site, and it reopened in 1998. The new museum covers an area of 20,000 square meters, with a construction area of 12,000 square meters, consisting of four functional zones: the exhibition hall, specimen storage, operational facilities, and botanical garden. The main building features a design called “Seashell Holding a Pearl,” symbolizing the Tianjin Natural History Museum as a pearl by the Bohai Sea.

　　In 2013, with strong support from the municipal Party committee and government, the renovation project of the new Tianjin Natural History Museum was listed as one of the “20 People’s Livelihood Projects of Tianjin.” In 2014, the renovation was completed, and the museum reopened at its new location in the Tianjin Cultural Center, inside the original Tianjin Museum. The new exhibitions revolve around the theme of “Home,” making it the first national natural history museum to offer a thematic, unit-based, panoramic display of natural exploration, scientific experience, and science education.

　　Suggested visit duration

　　1.5–2.5 hours

　　Transportation

　　Take bus routes 662, 668, 686, 835, 868, 912, 529, 641, 675, 800, 826, 838, 906, 655, etc., and get off at Bin Guan Nan Dao Station or Tianjin Museum Station.

　　Ticket

　　Admission is free. Tickets are distributed on-site on a first-come, first-served basis by time slot with valid ID. Entry is by queue, one ticket per valid ID (minors may have tickets collected by guardians and are valid for the day).

　　Valid IDs include: ID card, driver’s license, passport, household registration book, military officer ID, soldier ID, primary and secondary school student ID, etc.

　　Opening hours

　　9:00–16:30 (last entry at 16:00), closed on Mondays except national holidays

　　Location

　　No. 31 Youyi Road, Hexi District, Tianjin (near Tianjin Museum, Pingjiang Road)