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第9章 Capital of culture(2)

Lying on Tianqiao South Street, the mus eum i s the f i r s t one on natural science built after the founding of New China. It displays animals, plants, extinct species and dinosaurs. It is a world leader in terms of intact fossils of major ancient mammals.

China Folk Opera Museum

The museum is located inside the Huguang Guild of Hufangqiao, a famous venue for Peking Opera shows . The ma in pa r t of the exhibition features the history of folk operas in Beijing with precious documents, relics, pictures and audio-visual files. Visitors can find the picture showing Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang finding his teacher and the costume once used by Yang Xiaolou, a Peking Opera master in the role of generals.

China Arts and Crafts Museum

Lying at the northeastern corner of the Fuxingmen Flyover, it is the country"s first national museum on arts and crafts. Visitors can find the cream of Chinese arts and crafts such as jadeware, ivory, wood carving, stone carving, ceramics, lacquerware, embroidery, drawnwork, cloisonné, gold and silver ware, inlaid, tinware and copperware. There are also four large-scale jadeite works that are listed as national treasures.

Beijing Arts Museum

Located in the imperial Wanshou Temple founded in 1577 on the western 3rd Ring Road, the museum is nicknamed Small Forbidden City in Western Beijing. It boasts a collection of some 50,000 precious items from the primitive society to the Qing Dynasty. Main exhibits include calligraphy, paintings, rubbings, letters, embroidery, ceramics, furniture, coins, imperial seals and others. There are some 100,000 ancient books from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) till the Republic of China (1912-1949).

China Film Museum

The museum in Chaoyang District covers 35,000 sq m. It displays and plays movies in 21 halls. It is said to be the world"s biggest and most advanced film museum in the world.

Memorial of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

The memorial is located in the former Wanping County near the Lugou (Marco Polo) Bridge where the July 7 Incident occurred in 1937 to mark the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945). The memorial displays the happenings of the war, atrocities of Japanese invaders, the Chinese people"s heroic fight against the invaders and national heroes. There is also a gallery that brings the July 7 Incident alive through modern technology. There are some 3,800 photos and files, as well as 5,000 artifacts.

Museum of City Wall in Liao and Jin Dynasties

Located inside the Yulin Community outside You"anmen, it is built on the site of a watergate on the city wall of Zhongdu (the name of Beijing) in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). Covering 2,500 sq m, the museum has an underground exhibition hall that covers the watergate. Built with rock and wood, the gate is 43.4 m long. The culvert where water used to pass through is 21 m long and 7.7 m broad. It is the biggest ancient watergate found in China. The museum displays the history and layout of Beijing before, during and after the Liao (907-1125) and Jin dynasties.

National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature

At No 45 of Wen xue guan Street in Chaoyang District, the building is an icon of contemporary Chinese literature. There are some 380,000 items, including 13,824 manuscripts. It houses 81 specialized collections of the works by Ba Jin, Bing Xin and other famous literary masters.

Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

Built in a cave of Longgu Hill in Zhoukoudian of Fangshan District, the site preserves the world"s richest findings in paleoanthropology. The skull of Peking Man and the evidence of using fire have contributed greatly to the study of early human evolution. The site includes a museum of the Peking Man, the Ape-Man Cave and other galleries.

National Air and Space Museum

At Donggaodi of Fengtai District, the museum showcases latest development of Chinese astronautic technology. Besides the main hall, there are also halls to display high technology and special technology. Visitors can find the "Long March" series of rockets and satellites of Fengyun and Dongfanghong series.

Ruins of Yan Capital of Western Zhou Dynasty

Covering some 6 sq km in the Dongjialin Village of Liulihe Town, Fangshan District, it is an important site of the capital of the Dukedom of Yan during the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th c. -771 BC). Visitors can find traces of Beijing"s early history as the first city was constructed some 3,000 years ago.

Cultural tour

Wangfujing Paleoanthropology Site

Lying at the passage from the New Oriental Plaza to the subway, the site is at the busiest commercial center of Beijing. It is the first time such an important site for paleoanthropology was discovered at the center of a cosmopolis. At about 12 m deep underground, the site can be dated back to some 25,000 years ago and show how ancient humans once lived in the area.

Shichahai

Acknowledged as one of five most beautiful urban compounds in the country, Shichahai is a perfect blend of old and new. At the Di"anmen West Street, Shichahai has preserved the strongest flavors of folk Beijing life. There are many old Beijing residents dwelling in the hutong alleys where visitors can find residences of celebrities and grand courtyards of nobles in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Guanghua Temple

At No 31 of the Ya"er Hutong on the northern bank of Houhai Lake, the temple is also the site of Beijing Buddhism Association. It is said that a Buddhist master of the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) begged alms to build the temple. Upon the 1st and 15th days of each lunar month, the temple holds some religious ceremonies. At every Saturday, the Beijing Buddhist Music Troupe gives a performance here. Upon the 8th day of the last lunar month, the temple prepares porridge and distributes it among local residents. The tradition has lasted for centuries.

Imperial College