Beijing Natural History Museum

　　The Beijing Natural History Museum is situated in the Tianqiao area along the central axis in southern Beijing, backed by the World Cultural Heritage site of the Temple of Heaven Park and facing the modern Tianqiao Theater, enjoying a unique cultural environment. Its predecessor was the Preparatory Office of the Central Natural History Museum, established in April 1951, and 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 Central Committee and as 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 the museum’s buildings, the most mysterious is the "Tian Jiabing Building." This specimen building, jointly invested in by Hong Kong industrialist Dr. Tian Jiabing and the Beijing Municipal Government, houses over 200,000 collection specimens. Many of these specimens are unique both domestically and internationally, including the world-famous fossil skull of the ancient Yellow River elephant, the massive 26-meter-long Jingyan Mamenchisaurus fossil, China's only dinosaur mummy fossil, polar bears, rhinos, and more. The museum also holds gift specimens presented to Chinese national leaders by friends from around the world, such as the rare coelacanth specimen gifted to Comrade [Name] by the President of the Comoros during his visit to China, the Asian elephant specimen given to Comrade Mao Zedong by President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam in the early years, and the crocodile specimen presented by [Name], among others. Among the more precious items is the moa skeleton specimen gifted to China by the Canterbury Museum of New Zealand—a giant bird that went extinct on our planet in 1885, and this specimen is the only moa skeleton preserved in China.

　　To better showcase these precious specimens to the public, the museum’s permanent exhibitions focus on biological evolution, displaying biodiversity and its relationship with the environment, thus painting a panoramic picture of life on Earth. The paleontology exhibition hall presents the origins and early evolutionary processes of life. Through the imprints of fossils, one can almost see the extinct creatures. These traces of life seem to transport visitors through time, allowing them to hear voices from 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 contains countless mysteries and leaves us with endless questions. The zoology exhibition hall unveils the secrets of these “friends of humanity,” restoring and recreating the world’s most representative wildlife and their habitats, vividly showcasing the beauty of animals and the wonders of the animal kingdom. The human exhibition hall allows us to witness the grand history of human origins. From apes to humans, it has taken millennia to reach our current form. The birth of a single person may seem ordinary, yet it showcases the marvels of nature.

　　The Beijing Natural History Museum has never been just a dull place for lectures. With interactive educational activities designed based on the psychological traits of young people, it offers opportunities to explore the mysteries of nature, attracting countless young nature enthusiasts. Exhibits like "The Beauty of Animals" and "The Dinosaur World" 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 regularly hosts various temporary thematic exhibitions. Examples include the "Mammoth," "Da Vinci Technology," "The Mystery of the Human Body," and the 12-year-running "Zodiac Animals" exhibition, all of which have had significant impact.

　　Based in the capital, serving the nation, and looking toward the world, the museum’s carefully curated professional exhibitions have frequently gone abroad. The "Chinese Dinosaurs 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 the museum’s researchers are indispensable. The Beijing Natural History Museum boasts a team of scientifically rigorous and vibrant researchers, along with laboratories for zoology, botany, and paleontology, equipped with a range of advanced instruments. 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 many representative research monographs and popular science books, with dozens of papers appearing in core journals.

　　The Beijing Natural History Museum leverages its strengths to regularly host distinctive science education activities. It has organized 14 editions of the Beijing Primary and Secondary School Students’ Biology Knowledge Competition, with nearly 100,000 students participating each year. It also hosts various science lectures, biology teachers’ training sessions, junior interpreters’ programs, as well as popular events like Museum Night, Little Legion 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 takes their mission seriously, bringing people more voices from nature, bringing science closer to daily life, and building a beautiful bridge for dialogue between humanity and nature. Faced with new challenges, all members of the museum will live up to their mission, innovate in thinking, work diligently, and move steadily toward a brilliant future.

The Beijing Natural History Museum isAAAA-level attraction