The National Natural History Museum of China has unveiled plans for an additional museum site in Beijing's Fengtai district. According to the plans, the new site will cover an area of 200,000 square meters, effectively expanding exhibition scale and accommodating the rising number of visitors.

Visitors tour the dinosaur exhibits at the National Natural History Museum of China, Beijing, Aug. 1, 2023. [Photo/VCG]

The new museum's architectural concept is currently in the evaluation stage, while the planning for exhibition design, scenario functionality and collection research system is progressing steadily. Upon completion, the new museum is expected to significantly increase the annual visitor capacity from the current 1.8 million visitors and extend the exhibition area to more than seven times its current size.

"Due to the limited space, we're unable to exhibit many of our extensive collections. Currently, only 3,000 to 4,000 items are on display in the exhibition halls," said Meng Qingjin, director of the museum, while pointing to the 26-meter-long Mamenchisaurus jingyanensis skeleton, a star exhibit in the Ancient Reptiles Exhibition Hall. He added that the skeleton is unable to be fully extended despite the efficient utilization of space.

The origins of the museum can be traced back to the preparatory department of the National Central Museum of Natural History in 1951. The museum officially opened its doors in 1959, before receiving its official designation as the Beijing Museum of Natural History three years later. Fast forward to January 2023, the institution was renamed as the National Natural History Museum of China. Currently, it has over 370,000 items in its collection, and is involved in specimen collection, academic research and science popularization.

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