Museums
China Science & Technology Museum
Situated at the cross of Gulou Outer Street and the northern 3rd Ring Road, this is a comprehensive national museum on science and technology. On exhibition in its dozens of halls are ancient inventions, life, global environment, math, phys i c s and chemi s t ry, engineering and others. Visitors can get a taste of the latest inventions.
Capital Museum
The Capital Museum has raised the theory of "helping yourself to a touch of history" and here the audience can admire, touch and copy precious cultural relics. The 5,000 items on display are of high cultural value, such as the lacquer table and silk found a few years ago from a tomb of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) in Laoshan Hill of western Beijing. In the Cultural Relics Activity Area and the Handy Classroom, visitors can learn to make New Year paintings, pottery, rubbings or ancient coins. The static museum has thus gained dynamic functions.
Dazhongsi Ancient Bell Museum
Lying on the northwestern 3rd Ring Road, the museum is the only one in China displaying ancient bells. First founded in 1733 of the Qing Dynasty, the temple gained the name Big Bell (Dazhong) because of a giant bronze bell left from the time of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. The bell weighs 46 tons and its body is carved with Buddhist inscriptions of 230,000 words in both Chinese and Sanskrit.
China Sports Museum
Lying at No 3 of Anding Street, it collects, displays and studies relics related with sports. On display are ancient Chinese sports, modern Chinese sports, achievements of New China and Olympic medalists. There are some 4,700 relics and 5,000 precious pictures. The museum is an important showcase for the sports culture of China.
Beijing Planetarium
Located to the west of Xizhimen, the Beijing Planetarium is a national science museum. The museum publicizes science knowledge through exhibitions of the Galaxy and other aspects of the universe.
Huang Shi Cheng
Lying to the east of the southern end of Nanchizi Street, the Huang Shi Cheng is an imperial archive of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The words "Huang Shi Cheng" refer to "imperial history stored in a big library". First built in 1543, the architecture"s main hall faces south, with its base and walls built with stone slabs. The windows, columns and beams are all made with stones that look like wood, to protect the ancient files from fire and humidity. It has 152 stone containers that treasure the decrees and records of emperors and the imperial family.
China People"s Revolution Military Museum
Located on the Fuxing Street, it is the country"s only comprehensive museum on military history. It displays major military events, figures and weaponry over the past 5,000 years, as well as the achievements in national defense and People"s Liberation Army. The museum has seven halls that display The First Civil War, The Second Civil War, The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, The Third Civil War, weaponry, ancient Chinese wars and modern Chinese wars. There are some 130,000 items, 450,000 historic photos and 100,000 written records.
Beijing Police Museum
Sitting at No 36 of Dongjiaominxiang, the museum is built at the original site of the Beijing branch of the City Bank of the United States. The museum of typical Western architectural style covers 2,000 sq m. It has collected some 7,000 items from home and abroad related with police since the Ming Dynasty. Besides artifacts, the museum also displays photos, illustrations, texts and models. The high technologies in sound, lighting and electricity are perfectly combined with the traditional exhibits.
China Currency Museum
Lying at No 32 of Chengfang Street in Xicheng District, the museum displays the history of money used in China. The five parts talk about the unification of currency, symbolic meaning of ancient coins, silver and golden currency, banks and banknotes, present and future of Chinese currencies. It also holds exhibitions of various themes.
Beijing Paleozoology Museum
To the west of Beijing Planetarium, the Beijing Paleozoology Museum displays rare fossils of extinct species. The fossil of the giant Mamenchisaurus is 22 m long, and some small dinosaurs are just 1 m long. There are also fossils of fish and bird. The real-life models of dinosaurs, gentle herbivores and toothy carnivores bring audience to prehistoric times. The intact fossil of the giant Yellow River elephant is also displayed here.
Beijing Ancient Observatory
Standing to the southwest of Jianguomen Flyover, the ancient observatory has faithfully recorded the changes of stars and moon for more than 500 years. First built in 1442, it served as the national observatory in Ming and Qing dynasties. On the 14-m high platform are eight astroscopes made in the Qing Dynasty. They have kept the longest record of continuous observation in China. The observatory is famous in the whole world for the intact ancient architecture and equipment.
China Red Sandalwood Museum
The country"s biggest private museum on sandalwood furniture is located at No 23, Jianguo Street of Chaoyang District. Sandalwood has always been the most precious and expensive material for Chinese furniture. There are hundreds of furniture dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as thousands of imperial art works made of sandalwood, ebony, rock wood, rose wood.
Dabaotai Western Han Dynasty Tomb Museum
This is a little known but very interesting museum built on the underground mausoleum of Liu Jian (73-45 BC), a prince of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCAD 25). Covering 18,000 sq m, it attracts viewers" full attention with well-preserved remains of the tomb owners and sacrificial animals. There are also exhibitions on the structures of ancient Chinese emperors" mausoleums.
Beijing Museum of Natural History