Beijing Zoo travel and flights info - 20090730

This article is about the Beijing Zoo travel and flights info. You can find some useful information in it if you are booking your Beijing flights now. (you can get more New York,Los Angeles,San Francisco, Chicago flights and airfares info at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM)

Beijing Zoo, situated to the west of Beijing Exhibition Center, was known for a short time after the founding of the People's Republic as the Western Suburbs Park (Xijiao Gongyuan). The grounds combine cultivated flower gardens with stretches of natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of grassland, a small stream, lotus pools and small hills dotted with pavilions and halls.

In the 18th century, the zoo was known as the Sanbeizi Gardens, supposedly named after the third son of Emperor Kangxi, Prince Cheng Yin. Another explanation is that Sanbeizi refereed to the Qing courtier Fu Kang' an and the Gardens the site of his villa. In fact, as early as the Ming Dynasty, an imperial mansion called the Garden of Happiness and Friendship constructed for Prince Kang stood here, and during the Qing, part of the Sanbeizi Gardens called the Garden of Continuity (Jiyuan) became the private property of an official in the Bureau of Palace Affairs.

In 1906, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the park area became an agricultural experimental farm and a zoo. Known as the Garden of Ten Thousand Animals (Wanshengyuan), it opened to the public in 1908.

Under the successive rule of the Northern Warlords, the Japanese and the Kuomintang, the park became increasingly desolate. The only elephant died in 1937, and the Japanese, under the pretext of protecting themselves against air raids, poisoned the remaining lions, tigers and leopards. On the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the park housed only 12 monkeys, two parrots and a blind emu. The park was reopened to the public in 1950, and on April 10, 1955 formally named the Beijing Zoo.

The zoo has developed rapidly and by 1987 it covered an area of over 40,000 square meters. Bears, elephants, pandas, lions, tigers, songbirds, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, antelopes and giraffes were brought in the late 1950s, and a gorilla cage, leaf-monkey cage and aquarium house, was opened, containing specimens of over 100 species of reptiles from all over the world, including crocodiles and pythons.

At present, the zoo houses over 7,000 creatures of 600 different species, including the giant panda, red-crowned crane and Pere David's deer-all unique to China-as well as the African giraffe, rhinoceros, chimpanzee and antelope; American continent; wild ox from Europe; and elephant and gibbon from India.

Beijing Zoo is located in Xizhimenwaidajie Street,Haidian District,Beijing. It is one of the biggest zoos in China (covers 90 hectares). There are more than 4000 animals and 50000 fishes in this zoo.

Office hours:

From 03/15 to 04/30: 7:30 - 17:30.
From 05/01 to 09/30: 7:30 - 18:00.
From 10/01 to 11/14: 7:30 - 17:30.
From 11/15 to 03/14: 7:30 - 17:00.

How to get here?

You can take the Line 7, 15, 19, 27, 65, 332, 334, 347, 360, 362, 534, 601, 632, 634, 685, 697, 732, 814, Te4, Te5, Yuntong 105, Yuntong 106, Yuntong 205 city buses to the bus station named "Beijing Zoo". To get here from the Beijing Railway Station, you can take the Line 103 (dianche) bus to the "Beijing Zoo" bus station. To get here from the Beijing North Railway Station, you can take the Line 105, 111, 7, 27, 347, 632 city buses to the "Beijing Zoo" bus station. To get here from the Beijing West Railway Sation, you can take the Line 65 city bus.(you can get more New York,Los Angeles,San Francisco, Chicago flights and airfares info at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM)

Admission fees:

(1) For the peak season (04/01 to 10/31), the cost is 20 rmb for one person (include the panda display). If you don't wanna visit the panda display, the cost is 15 rmb for one person. (2). For the slack season (11/01 to 03/31), the cost is 15 rmb for one person (include the panda display). You can save 5 rmb if you don't wanna visit the panda display. Some tips: You can get a 50% off if you can show them your student ID. Free admission for the kids shorter than 1.2 meters. There is a aquarium in the Beijing Zoo and the cost is 110 rmb for one person.(you can get more New York,Los Angeles,San Francisco, Chicago flights and airfares info at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM)

By Shane Lee. Date: 07/30/2009.

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