The China Bee Museum, established in 1993, is housed in a bungalow subtly hidden in the beauty of the Beijing Botanical Garden in Haidian District.

This bee kingdom possesses three exhibition halls, and the main theme of the exhibition is 'Bees are friends of human beings'. The exhibits here vary as follows: the origin and fossils of bees, the history of bee culture, the cultural origins between bees and human beings, China resources of bee keeping, bee biology, bee pollination, bee products, and bee venom therapy, among others.

With intriguing rockeries, clear ponds and elegant bridges interspersed throughout, the garden is a place of great natural beauty. A visit to the garden is highly recommended as an instructive and delightful experience.

Botanical Garden

CNY 5

07:00-17:00

Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall

CNY 10

08:30-16:30

Temple of the Sleeping Buddha

CNY 5

08:30-16:30

Conservatory

CNY 50

08:30-16:30

Bus Route:
331, 634, 737, 360, 318, 714, 733 to Beijing Zhiwuyuan (Beijing Botanical Garden, 北京植物园)

Historical attractions can also be found in the garden, including Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall, Tomb of Liang Qichao, Temple of  the Sleeping Buddha and December 9th Pavilion. Cao Xueqin, a celebrated novelist of China, is well-known for his masterpiece: A Dream of Red Mansions. The Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall depicts a vivid scene of a mountain village and evokes the mystery of this great author. The Tomb of Liang Qichao, a famous reformist in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), lies beyond the wooded area of the garden. The Temple of the Sleeping Buddha was constructed early in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when a huge copper Sakyamuni statue, together with twelve smaller Buddha figurines was worshipped. The December 9th Pavilion is built in memory of the December 9th Movement, which took place in 1935 and called for an end to the civil war and resistance towards the Japanese aggressors.

Beijing Botanical Garden is located at the foot of the Western Hill, in Haidian District, northwest of downtown Beijing. Covering an area of 400 hectares, it is renowned as the largest botanical garden in North China. The garden contains not only a great variety of rare trees and stunning flowers, but also houses a number of historical attractions.

The plant conservatory, resembling a crystal palace, lies at the center of the garden. The greenhouse is the largest one in Asia, and exhibits thousands of tropical and subtropical plants. There are dedicated areas for various varieties of trees and flowering plants. Eleven theme gardens form a spectacular sight within the garden, featuring the rose, peony, lilac, bamboo, magnolia, bonsai, prunus mume, perennial flowers, herbaceous peony, ornamental peach and the Chinese flowering crabapple. In the woodland zone, gingko, cypress, linden, willow, berberidaceae and other rare trees color the area a rich green.

Located in Zhangshanying Town, Yanqing County, the Shijinglong Ski Resort is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Beijing. The 35-hectare (86.5-mile) resort is the largest and most well-appointed one in the greater Beijing area. The resort was built in 1999 and can accommodate over 5,000 guests. Located near scenic Longqing Gorge, Shijinglong’s diverse terrain offers an ideal venue for both novice and veteran skiers.

The resort has seven ski runs of varying degrees of difficulty ranging from expert to amateur. The most challenging slope is over 1,000 meters (1,093.6 yards) long. With a maximum slope of thirty degrees, it has a pitch of 300 meters (1,080 feet). The mid-level run has a maximum slope of twenty-eight degrees. The junior ski run for beginners is over 3,000 meters (3,280 yards) long with an average slope of ten degrees. In addition, there is a separate snowboarding park available.

In the Whales and Globefish Hall, dolphins, killer whales and sea lions live happily with each other. Visitors can see them clearly through the two windows in the wall.

To get there, you can take a bus to Beijing Zoo and follow the signs to Beijing Aquarium. Admission fee to the zoo is CNY 15 from April 1 to October 31 and CNY 10 from November 1 to March 31.

Admission Fee:
CNY 100
Opening Hours:
09:00-17:30
Bus Route:
27, 45, 105, 107, 111, 206, 206, 209, 319, 347, 362, 601, 632, 634, 714, 716, 732, 808, 814 to Dongwuyuan (Beijing Zoo, 动物园), then you could arrive at the Beijing Aquarium (北京海洋馆).

As the name suggests, the Rare Chinese Sturgeon Hall is the home of sturgeons unique to China. This hall encapsulates the living environment of the Chinese sturgeons from the Yangtze River through exhibits that demonstrate both real underwater feeding scenes and pictures.

The Marine Theater, with over 3,000 seats, is the marine animal performance area. Trained sea lions imitate the clumsy seals and dance with the trainers. Skillful dolphins perform water ballet routines, jump high out of the water to reach the ball floating in the air or paint abstract drawings. The most exciting performance is when two dolphins lift the trainer to a great height with their mouths as if launching a rocket. These programs are performed at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, they are held at 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

Next is the Wonder of Coral Reefs tunnel complex consisting of thirty-three tanks displaying ornamental fish representing sea areas from around the world. Fish on display include the Jewel cichlids from California, endangered nautiluses, sea purses and other amazing fish that swim effortlessly above visitors' heads as they make their way through the tunnel.

The Shark Wharf hall is unique among shark halls by showing the sharks in an open way and hosts interactive programs such as diving, feeding and dancing with the sharks.

The Rainforest Adventure, with its winding path, tumbling waterfall and architectural delights, creates for the visitor a feeling of being in the Amazon Forest. This area has twenty-two tanks housing 100 different types of freshwater fish collected from rainforest and inland rivers and includes examples of Blood parrot fish, sea elephants, giant salamanders, Monodactylus sebaes and anglerfishes.

After the rainforest, visitors will find themselves in the Touch Pool. Here visitors can touch and handle sea hedgehogs, sea anemones, starfish, soldier crabs and horseshoe crabs.

When entering Beijing Zoo (located in Haidian District) from the north gate, visitors will encounter a huge building resembling a blue whelk in an ocean of trees and flowers - the Beijing Aquarium. The aquarium uses the color of blue and orange to symbolize the mysteries of the sea and the vitality of its marine life. With an area of 12 hectares (29.7 acres), this aquarium is the largest inland one in the world and breeds more than 1,000 marine species and freshwater fish. It is divided into seven parts, namely, Rainforest Adventure, Touch Pool, Wonder of Coral Reefs, Shark Harbor, Rare Chinese Sturgeon Hall, Whales and Globefish Hall and Marine Theater.