VOL.1 Beijing Ancient Observatory
The Beijing Ancient Observatory, renowned both at home and abroad, is one of the oldest surviving observatories in the world. As a royal observatory during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is famous for its complete architecture, well-equipped instruments, and long history.
In the seventh year of the Ming Zhengtong reign (1442), an observatory was constructed on the site of the former southeastern corner tower of the Yuan Dadu city walls. Astronomical instruments such as the armillary sphere, the simplified armillary sphere (abridged armilla), and the celestial globe were installed there. Buildings including the Ziwei Hall were also erected at the base of the city wall, and later the Sundial Hall was added. By this time, the observatory and its auxiliary complex had reached a significant scale.
Between 1669 and 1674, commissioned by Emperor Kangxi and designed under the supervision of Ferdinand Verbiest, six new astronomical instruments were created: the equatorial armilla, the ecliptic armilla, the azimuth theodolite, the quadrant altazimuth, the sextant, and the celestial globe. In the 54th year of the Kangxi reign (1715), Kilian Stumpf designed and constructed the azimuth-altitude theodolite. In the ninth year of the Qianlong reign (1744), Emperor Qianlong ordered the casting of a new instrument modeled after the traditional Chinese armillary sphere, named the Jiheng Fuchen Yi (玑衡抚辰仪).
By this stage, all eight ancient instruments visible to visitors today had been fully installed.
The eight ancient astronomical instruments exhibited on the platform top are national Grade-1 cultural relics, recognized as China's astronomical treasures. They attract a constant stream of visitors from around the world every year.
Besides the original eight Qing-dynasty astronomical instruments atop the ancient platform, the Ancient Observatory complex also houses three exhibition halls within the Purple Palace Hall and the East and West Wing Rooms. These halls respectively feature the thematic exhibitions: "The Chinese Sky," "The Eastward Transmission of Western Science," and "Astronomical Instruments and Phenomena."
Furthermore, the courtyard of the ancient observatory displays 1:3 scale replicas of the Ming-dynasty bronze armillary sphere and abridged armilla, as well as a 1:3 replica of Guo Shoujing's Zhengfang'an (正方案). The rear courtyard exhibits ancient timekeeping instruments such as sundials and gnomon tables, alongside full-scale replicas of Ming-dynasty astronomical measuring instruments like the armillary sphere and abridged armilla.
Friendly reminder: Open from 9:00 to 16:30 on Monday, Wednesday to Sunday (entry stops at 16:00), closed on Tuesday (except for national holidays).
Address: Beijing Ancient Observatory
VOL.2 Beijing Planetarium
In addition to the Ancient Observatory, the first large-scale planetarium in China, the Beijing Planetarium, is also a great place for stargazing. Over the years, the Beijing Planetarium has attracted many visitors with its unique demonstration methods.
The Beijing Planetarium consists of two halls, A and B, with a total of four popular science theaters. Among them, the Celestial Hall in Hall A is the largest horizontal celestial hall in mainland China, equipped with world-leading equipment. Its Zeiss IX optical planetarium and the world's highest resolution all-sky digital projection system can not only realistically reproduce more than 9,000 visible stars on Earth for the audience inside the hall, as well as high-resolution 8K dome images, but also achieve functions such as virtual celestial demonstrations, three-dimensional space simulations, and digital program playback.
The Beijing Planetarium is equipped with three popular science theaters: the Space Theater, 4D Theater, and 3D Theater, as well as various popular science education facilities such as the Astronomy Exhibition Hall, Sun Observation Platform, Public Observatory, and Astronomy Classroom. Among them, the Space Theater, with a diameter of 18 meters, has a standard half-dome full-sky screen, which can simultaneously present a magnificent three-dimensional sky dome effect for 200 viewers, making it unique in mainland China.
Friendly reminder: Open from 9:00 to 16:30 on Monday, Wednesday to Sunday (entry stops at 16:00), closed on Tuesday (except for national holidays).
Address: Beijing Planetarium
VOL.3 China Aviation Museum
The China Aviation Museum, located in Changping, is the largest aviation museum in Asia and ranks among the top 5 in the world. The main exhibition area covers an area of 720,000 square meters, with an indoor exhibition area of approximately 40,000 square meters, including two large indoor exhibition halls, the Cave Hall and the Comprehensive Exhibition Hall. Currently, the museum has a collection of 149 types of 376 aircraft and over 28,000 cultural relics.
Friendly reminder: Open daily from 9:00 to 17:00 (entry stops at 16:00), closed on Mondays (except for national holidays).
Address: China Aviation Museum
VOL.4 China Space Museum
The China Space Museum is the only national-level aerospace professional museum in China, with the functions of showcasing aerospace achievements, promoting aerospace spirit, disseminating aerospace culture, popularizing aerospace knowledge, and promoting aerospace experiences.
The exhibition content encompasses multiple sections, including the history and spirit of China's space exploration, missile weaponry, launch vehicles, artificial satellites, manned spaceflight, deep space exploration, prominent figures in aerospace, and future prospects. It comprehensively and vividly showcases the development journey of China's space program—from its inception to its advancement, and from relative weakness to remarkable strength.
Friendly reminder: Closed on Mondays, open from Tuesday to Sunday 9:00-16:30 (except for legal holidays)
Address: China Space Museum
