Transportation has come a long way since the invention of the wheel. The recently-completed Beijing Auto Museum in Fengtai District pays homage to the evolution of vehicles from carriages drawn by animals to today's cars, both in China and abroad.
The museum's fifth floor allows visitors to follow the development of motor vehicles through history with working models, replicas, authentic antique cars, and plenty of captions in both Chinese and English.
The exhibit starts by recalling the invention of the wheel and how it revolutionized work, making it easier to carry loads and travel long distances. From the wheel, the museum progresses to specimens of horse-drawn carriages from ancient dynasties. Also on display is a working model of perhaps the world's first odometer. During the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), this device traveled in a cart with the emperor's caravan. Two ornate male figures were mounted next to a drum; the gears turned and, every 500 meters, one of the figures beat the drum.
In 1885, the word's first automobile debuted: The Benz Patent Motorwagon. The replica on display at the Beijing Auto Museum shows the first Benz to be a three-wheeled wooden carriage with metal wheels. The engine sits between the two hind wheels, making the vehicle look like it's missing a horse to pull it. During one of the first public demonstrations, the car crashed into a factory wall, ruining the prototype. To convince the public of the vehicle's capability for travel, inventor Karl Benz's wife Bertha drove the Benz Patent Motorwagon 106km to visit her parents, becoming the world's first female driver, and driving the first long-distance trip.
Automobiles arrived in China when Yuan Shikai, a soldier and statesman, gave the Empress Dowager Cixi a 1901 Duryea for her 66th birthday.
In 1907, the Peking-Paris motor race took place, with five teams completing the 14,994km trip between the two cities.
However, China did not produce automobiles domestically until the 1950s. In 1956, the first "made in China" vehicle rolled off the production lines -- a Liberation brand truck manufactured by the Changchun First Automobile Works. The first sedan, named Dongfeng, debuted two years later, made by the same factory. After Chairman Mao tested the car for ride and comfort, he smiled and proclaimed, "How wonderful it is to ride in a car of our own!"
Several authentic vintage cars are also on display, including the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Coupe, the Ford Model T, and the Volkswagen Beetle. Popular vintage models throughout the 20th century are also well-preserved in the museum, including the minibus of the 1960s, and specimens from the Oldsmobile and Jaguar brands.
Still, the 50,000sqm auto museum is more than just looking at nice cars. Another section of the museum is devoted to auto technology, where interactive and multimedia exhibits take visitors inside the construction of an automobile to better understand how cars work. A corner of the auto technology section is devoted to advancements in automobile safety and educating the public on how to ensure a safe car ride.
The museum succeeds in providing a comprehensive look at the development of the technology behind today's automobiles and telling stories which bring color to automobile history. Curious visitors and auto enthusiasts alike will be able to explore the development of one of the most significant modern inventions when the Beijing Auto Museum's officially opens in May 2011.
