Tianjin Natural History Museum

Tianjin Natural History Museum
天津自然博物馆 

Address: 31 Youyi Road, Galaxy Plaza, Tianjin
Website:  www.tjnhm.com  (Cn)
Hours: 9:00 - 16:30 ( last tickets:16:00)
Close Mondays (except for national holidays)
E-mail: ctjnhm1914@163.com
General admission: Free (passport required for entry)

The new site of the Tianjin Natural History Museum is at the Tianjin Culture Center and covers an area of 35,000 square meters. It features four zones, namely a permanent display area, a temporary exhibition area, an experience zone, and an education area.

The museum was established in 1914 by a French priest, Emile Licent (1876-1952, Chinese name Sang Zhihua), and was first named the Hoangho Paiho Museum.

The founder engaged in research on culture, geographical conditions, meteorology, animals and plants along the Yellow River and the Haihe River for 25 years from 1914 to 1938, collecting more than 200,000 specimens of ancient animals, plants, humans and stones, which had great influence around the world.

In 2014, the Museum was re-opened to the general public at the new site in the Tianjin Culture Center which was previously the seat of Tianjin Museum. Exhibitions of the new museum are organized with the theme of "Homeland". It is China's first museum with a themed modular arrangement, a panoramic display of natural explorations and areas for science experience and education.
The museum holds 380,000 fossil specimens from many kinds of animals and plants, the largest collection in China.

With the general theme of "Homeland", the museum spans ancient times to the present age, and covers the whole world as well as the city of Tianjin in four parts -- Footprints, Exploration, Life, and Ecology.