Shanghai Natural History Museum
Encyclopedia
The Shanghai Natural History Museum is a museum
dedicated to natural history
. It is one of the largest museums of natural sciences in China
.
is being constructed within centimeters in front of the building.
at Henan Nan Lu (metro: Henan Zhong Lu
). It is currently open Tues-Sun 9am-5pm (last ticket sold 3:30pm). Admission is 5 RMB.
, and 1,700 specimens of minerals. There are also rare species which cannot be found elsewhere outside China, such as a Yellow River
mammoth
, a giant salamander
, a giant panda
, and an alligator
from the Yangtze River
.
The largest exhibit is a 140-million-year-old dinosaur
skeleton of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis
Young et Zhao from Sichuan Province, which is over four stories high. The museum also has two mummies and several human embryos. All the displays have not been changed for many years, and many signs are in Chinese only. The sections on human evolution
and primitive civilizations are quite dated and include old racial stereotypes. However, there is a sign that acknowledges and apologizes for any errors which may be the result of "time, ability, and financial capacity".
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
dedicated to natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
. It is one of the largest museums of natural sciences in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
History
The museum was created in 1956 in what was once a classical British structure from 1923 that used to be the Cotton Exchange. The building is, however, in dire need of basic maintenance and upgrade, since its paint is crumbling and some exhibits are at risk of disintegration. The mosaic floors and stained glass windows in the lobby only hint at the grand building that once was. The Yan'an Elevated RoadExpressways of Shanghai
Shanghai has an expansive grade-separated highway and expressway network consisting of 14 city elevated and surface expressways, 9 provincial-level expressways, and 8 national-level expressways...
is being constructed within centimeters in front of the building.
Location
The museum is located at 260 Yan'an Dong Lu in HuangpuHuangpu District, Shanghai
Huangpu District , is one of Shanghai's 18 districts and makes up the eastern part of Shanghai's traditional urban core. Today's Huangpu District is sometimes referred to as "new Huangpu" to distinguish it from the pre-merger Huangpu District which existed before 2000. In 2000, the pre-merger...
at Henan Nan Lu (metro: Henan Zhong Lu
Henan Zhong Lu
Henan Road is a street in the city center of Shanghai.-Orientation:Running in a North-South direction, it is divided into three sections:* North Henan Road...
). It is currently open Tues-Sun 9am-5pm (last ticket sold 3:30pm). Admission is 5 RMB.
Exhibit
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 AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, and 1,700 specimens of minerals. There are also rare species which cannot be found elsewhere outside China, such as a Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
, a giant salamander
Salamander
Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
, a giant panda
Panda
Panda or Panda bear most often refers to:*Giant panda, an animal in the Bear familyPanda may also refer to:*Red panda, the only living member in the Ailuridae family-In biology:* Species related to the Giant panda...
, and an alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
from the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
.
The largest exhibit is a 140-million-year-old dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
skeleton of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis
Mamenchisaurus
Mamenchisaurus was a plant-eating four-legged dinosaur, known for its remarkably long neck which made up half its total length. It is known from numerous species which ranged in time from 160 to 145 million years ago, from the Oxfordian to Tithonian ages of the late Jurassic Period of...
Young et Zhao from Sichuan Province, which is over four stories high. The museum also has two mummies and several human embryos. All the displays have not been changed for many years, and many signs are in Chinese only. The sections on human evolution
Human evolution
Human evolution refers to the evolutionary history of the genus Homo, including the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species and as a unique category of hominids and mammals...
and primitive civilizations are quite dated and include old racial stereotypes. However, there is a sign that acknowledges and apologizes for any errors which may be the result of "time, ability, and financial capacity".