The Beijing Aquarium currently houses seven exhibitions. [Photo:CRIENGLISH.com]
The Beijing Aquarium currently houses seven exhibitions. [Photo:CRIENGLISH.com]
Children around the globe have one thing in common: a curiosity about the surrounding world. In landlocked Beijing, the young and young at heart alike can have a closer look at marine life from different parts of the world at the Beijing Aquarium.
The privately owned Beijing Aquarium sits on the northern side of the state-owned Beijing Zoo complex. The building is divided into seven exhibitions, with more than 10,000 species on display, including over 30,000 fish. Each section has a theme ranging from sea mammals to tropical coral reefs and even arctic sea life.
The walkways that wind around the aquarium's various fish tanks are decorated to look like a stroll through a rainforest. A feeding pool, where visitors can buy fish feed for 10 yuan, looks more like a rocky stream than a museum exhibit. But the real draw for visitor-animal interaction is the arena where the dolphin and sea lion shows are held.
Even on a recent weekday morning, the Marine Mammal Pavilion at the Beijing Aquarium drew several hundred visitors for the popular dolphin and sea lion show. The energetic, cheerful animals had plenty of room to wow the audience with synchronized swimming, jumps, and even a little bit of dancing. The audience was a mixed crowd, including adult couples, primary school students on field trips, families, and foreign tourists.
"This is the first time that my daughter has seen a show like this, and we really enjoyed it," said one father who brought his wife and two children to see the aquarium.
Soon, visitors will be able to have more close encounters with sea animals. Two white whales arrived from Russia last year and are training for their own public shows.
"The two white whales are expected to do shows in the second half of this year," said Chen Wei, Director of the Beijing Aquarium's Science Education Department.
To celebrate the first anniversary of housing the white whales, the aquarium held a painting contest for school-age children to promote awareness about marine life. Chen hopes that more foreign children will participate in future contests.
In addition, a jellyfish exhibit is under construction and scheduled to open on May 1.
Aside from displaying aquatic animals and fish, the aquarium is taking a hands-on approach to wildlife conservation. Staff members hold on-site scientific lectures about marine life and offer free classes about marine animals and conservation to schools and communities.
But the Beijing Aquarium is more than just talk. It cooperates with the Chinese Department of Agriculture to rehabilitate sick and injured Chinese sturgeons from the Yangtze River area.
"The Chinese sturgeon is endangered," Chen said. "The dams built on the Yangtze River and the pollution in the water are contributing to the destruction of the sturgeon's habitat. As a base for Chinese sturgeon rehabilitation, we try to give them the best care."
The aquarium has assembled a team of marine professionals to care for the sturgeon. Some are eventually released back into the wild, while others that are unable to re-adapt to the wild are kept at the aquarium.
As global development continues to encroach on animal habitats, awareness and education about marine life are becoming more important. The Beijing Aquarium not only satisfies visitors' curiosity about the marine world, but also helps to preserve it.