The Shanghai Natural History Museum (; Shanghainese: Zånhae Zyzoe Pohvehguoe) is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and th ...

dedicated to natural history in the city of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. It is one of the largest museums of natural sciences in China. Formerly housed in the Shanghai Cotton Exchange Building, the museum was moved to a purpose-built site in the

Jing'an Sculpture Park Jing'an Sculpture Park, or Jingan Sculpture Park, is a sculpture park in the Jing'an District of Shanghai, China. Works * ''Colors of Happiness'' * ''Elemental Spring: Harmony'' * ''Flying Colors'' * ''Girouette Monumentale'' * ''Horse'' * ''La ...

in 2015.

Location

Shanghai Natural History Museum - entrance

The museum was established in 1956 in the Shanghai Cotton Exchange Building, a classical British structure built in 1923. It was located at 260

East Yan'an Road Yan'an Road (; Shanghainese: Yi'ue Lu) is a road in Shanghai, a major east–west thoroughfare through the centre of the city. The modern Yan'an Road is in three sections, reflecting three connected streets which existed pre-1945: Avenue Edward ...

Huangpu District Huangpu, also formerly romanized Whangpoo or Whang-Po, may refer to: * Huangpu District, Shanghai, China ** Huangpu River, in Shanghai, China * Huangpu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China ** Huangpu Military Academy, in Guangzhou, China * Pazhou ...

, near the intersection of South Henan Road. It was designated a Heritage Building by the Shanghai Municipal Government in 1994. However, the

Yan'an Elevated Road Yan'an Elevated Road () is an elevated expressway in the city of Shanghai, China. It runs along Yan'an Road in its entirety, continuing from the east terminus of G50 Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway at Huqingping Interchange (close to Hongqiao In ...

has since been constructed within meters in front of the building. The new 44,517 square-meter building is in the

. Opened to the public in 2015, the Shanghai Natural History Museum has moved to the new location.

Collections and exhibits

The museum has a collection of 240,000 samples, including over 62,000 pieces of animal specimens, 135,000 plant specimens, 700 specimens of the Stone Age, and 1,700 specimens of minerals. There are also rare species which cannot be found elsewhere outside China, such as a

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan ...

mammoth, a giant

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

, a giant

panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes use ...

, and a Yangtze Alligator. The largest exhibit is a 140-million-year-old

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

skeleton of ''

Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis ''Mamenchisaurus'' (or spelling pronunciation ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known for their remarkably long necks which made up nearly half the total body length. Numerous species have been assigned to the genus; however, many of these might ...

'' Young et Zhao from

Sichuan Province Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of th ...

, which is over four stories high. The museum also has two mummies and several human embryos.

References

External links

* *
Shanghai Natural History Museum — Some photos
{{authority control 1956 establishments in China Buildings and structures completed in 1923 Museums established in 1956 Museums in Shanghai Natural history museums in China Jing'an District

Location

Collections and exhibits

See also

References

External links