Beijing's National Museum of Natural History, the choice for parent-child research and study

The National Museum of Natural History in Beijing is China's only national-level, comprehensive natural history museum, representing the nation in the protection, research, collection, interpretation, and display of natural objects as well as natural heritage with historical, scientific, and artistic value from the human societal development process. The name of the museum was inscribed by Guo Moruo, the president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and it opened in January 1959. It was named the Beijing Natural History Museum in January 1962 and was renamed the National Museum of Natural History in January 2023. The National Museum of Natural History is located on the east side of the southern section of Beijing's central axis, adjacent to the World Cultural Heritage site of the Temple of Heaven, with a current building area of over 23,000 square meters, and receives up to 1.8 million visitors annually. The museum's collection is rich, with the number of rare specimens ranking first among natural history museums in China, including the fossil of Sinodelphys, the earliest known placental mammal, and the only completely preserved 'Yellow River elephant' fossil. The museum's basic exhibits are centered around biological evolution, with permanent exhibitions such as ancient reptiles, ancient mammals, invertebrates, and the magical Africa, showcasing biodiversity and its relationship with the environment, constructing a panoramic view of the evolution and development of life on Earth. The National Museum of Natural History mainly engages in the collection of specimens, scientific research, and science popularization work in the fields of earth science and life science such as paleontology, zoology, botany, and anthropology. It is one of the first batch of national first-level museums, open to the public for free, and is a national base for science education and a national youth science and technology education base. The museum also hosts various temporary and touring exhibitions, as well as science popularization lectures, academic seminars, and other activities.