As the capital of China, Beijing is home to numerous aquariums, among which three are relatively well-known: Beijing Aquarium, Blue Zoo Beijing and Beijing Andover Taipingyang Under Water World. So, which of these three aquariums is better? Let's have a comprehensive analysis below.
Beijing Aquarium
Beijing Aquarium is located in Beijing Zoo, covering an area of 120,000 square meters with a building area of 42,000 square meters. As one of the largest aquariums in China and even Asia, Beijing Aquarium, with its rich collections and vivid exhibitions, provides an ideal place for leisure, entertainment and popular science education. Walking into the aquarium, the seven themed areas including "Rainforest Wonders", "Shark Town", "Bering Strait", "National Treasure Chinese Sturgeon Hall", "Underwater Tour", "Ocean Fun Show" and "Cetacean Bay Leisure Area" are like vivid marine paintings, making people linger and forget to return.
"Rainforest Wonders" is full of greenery. The touch pool here allows you to touch marine mollusks of various shapes with your own hands, and the performances of archerfish and arapaima are dazzling. "National Treasure Chinese Sturgeon Hall" gives us the opportunity to see the national treasure Chinese sturgeon, and also witness the staff feeding them. In the "Underwater Tour" area, the interactive feeding performance between divers and underwater creatures makes people deeply feel the unique charm of marine life. The "Ocean Fun Show" area features regular daily performances by dolphins, sea lions and other animals, which are eye-catching. There are also stage plays (charged separately), bringing the audience a feast for the eyes and ears.
The tickets for Beijing Aquarium are divided into ordinary tickets and annual cards. The price of an ordinary adult ticket is 175 RMB per person, while the annual card is 600 RMB (limited to daytime sessions, unlimited times, valid for 365 days, and half price for students). Children under 1.2 meters in height are admitted free of charge. Purchasing a ticket for Beijing Aquarium also allows free entry to Beijing Zoo.
Blue Zoo Beijing
Located under the artificial lake of Beijing Workers' Stadium, Blue Zoo Beijing is one of the earliest underwater worlds in China, with a total construction area of 7,800 square meters. The most striking attraction of Blue Zoo Beijing is the 120-meter-long underwater tunnel, which is the longest in Asia. Visitors can observe marine animals in all directions surrounded by seawater. In this underwater tunnel, visitors can see many kinds of large sharks, as well as graceful swimmers like shovelnose rays, yellow rays and cownose rays. In addition, there are large marine fish, schools of reef fish, and more than 100 species and over 2,000 marine animals with unique characteristics such as the second-class protected hawksbill turtles in the tunnel.
The touch pool allows close contact with marine animals, where visitors can touch cute and docile underwater creatures like starfish and sea cucumbers with their own hands. Blue Zoo Beijing also has exhibition areas such as saltwater fish, freshwater fish, turtle and shark pools, and giant salamander pools, displaying various representative fish and marine organisms. This magical underwater world also features thrilling performances of humans dancing with sharks, where performers have close contact with sharks, amazing the audience. In addition, there are performances such as underwater elf dance, golden storm, sea lion shows and mermaid show. These characteristic programs are either wonderful or spectacular, bringing endless joy and enjoyment to people.
The price of an ordinary adult ticket for Blue Zoo Beijing is 150 RMB per person, which includes some wonderful performances. If you want to experience more, you can choose the all-inclusive ticket, which is 198 RMB, including all performances and VIP guided tour services. Children under 1 meter in height and elderly people aged 80 and above can enter for free.
Beijing Andover Taipingyang Under Water World
Taipingyang Under Water World is located at the foot of the China Central Television Tower, covering an area of about 8,000 square meters. It takes displaying marine life as its theme, combining elements such as popular science education, viewing and entertainment. The underwater tunnel, roaming area, koi pond, animal performance area, penguin hall, seal bay, pocket aquarium, jellyfish hall, 5D cinema and other areas form this wonderful marine world. Hundreds of marine species roam freely here, including ferocious sharks, colorful reef fish, rare freshwater fish. Performances such as sea lion shows, mermaid shows and humans dancing with sharks are amazing. In addition, Taipingyang Under Water World also provides gift shops and fast-food restaurants for visitors, making it convenient for them to replenish energy at any time during the visit and buy some exquisite marine souvenirs to take home the good memories.
The price of an ordinary adult ticket for Taipingyang Under Water World is 90 RMB per person. Children under 1.2 meters in height and elderly people aged 80 and above can enter for free; disabled people (including disabled soldiers and firefighters) can enjoy free admission with their disability certificates on Mondays of non-statutory holidays.
