National Natural History Museum of China facts for kids
| 国家自然博物馆 | |
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| Former name | Beijing Museum of Natural History (1962–2023) |
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| Established | 1951 |
| Location | Dongcheng, Beijing, China |
| Type | Public, municipal museum Natural history museum |
| Public transit access |
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The National Natural History Museum of China (NNHM) is a super cool place in Beijing, China. It's a museum where you can learn all about nature, from ancient dinosaurs to modern animals. It's like a giant treasure chest filled with real examples of life on Earth, called specimens.
This museum started way back in 1951 as the Central Museum of Natural History. Later, in 1962, its name changed to the Beijing Museum of Natural History. For many years, it was known by that name. But in June 2023, it got a new, bigger name: the National Natural History Museum of China! Even though it has "National" in its name now, it's still managed by the Beijing city government.
The museum is huge, with lots of space for showing off its amazing collections. It has more than 200,000 specimens! These include incredible fossils, birds, mammals, and even tiny creatures without backbones. The main display area is in a building called the Tian Jiabing Building. The museum also publishes a science magazine called Da Ziran, which means Great Nature. Scientists at the museum also do important research to learn more about our natural world.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Wonders
Dinosaur and Fossil Galleries
Get ready to travel back in time! The museum has three special areas just for fossils, especially dinosaurs.
The Age of Dinosaurs: Mesozoic Gallery
In this gallery, you'll feel like you've stepped into the world of dinosaurs. Right at the start, there's a big bronze model of ancient Earth. In the middle, a giant Mamenchisaurus skeleton stands tall. Imagine tiny dromaeosaur dinosaurs zipping around its feet! You'll also see a Szechuanosaurus standing upright. Other cool dinosaur skeletons include Bactrosaurus and Lufengosaurus.
One exciting display shows a Yangchuanosaurus attacking a Tuojiangosaurus. It's like a frozen moment from millions of years ago! This gallery also has amazing feathered dinosaurs from a place called Liaoning. You can see fossils of Confuciusornis, Microraptor, and Anchiornis. This section leads to another exhibit with moving, lifelike dinosaurs and a smaller area where you can see real dinosaur eggs.
Ice Age Giants: Cenozoic Gallery
After the dinosaurs, new giants roamed the Earth! In the Cenozoic gallery, you'll see huge skeletons of creatures like Paraceratherium, which was one of the largest land mammals ever. There are also Stegodon (an ancient elephant) and Megaloceros (a giant deer). You can even see the skull of a woolly mammoth! Look closely in a glass case for the skeleton of an entelodont, sometimes called a "hell pig." The museum also displays skulls of other amazing prehistoric mammals, like the saber-toothed cat Homotherium and the rhino-like Elasmotherium.
Earth's First Life: Cambrian Gallery
This gallery takes you even further back in time, to when life on Earth was just beginning. You'll see a large sculpture of an Anomalocaris, a strange creature from the ancient oceans. There are also trilobites and a Hallucigenia that looks like it's bursting out of the floor! You can also find a display of beautiful ammonites arranged like a spiral shell. This section shows many fossils from the Cambrian explosion, a time when many different kinds of life suddenly appeared on Earth.
Gallery
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Mounted skeletons of Yangchuanosaurus and Tuojiangosaurus.
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Microraptor specimen on the second floor.
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Mounted skeleton of Szechuanosaurus.
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Skull of Lufengosaurus magnus.
See also
- List of museums in China
- List of natural history museums
