Beijing Zoo------a Zoological Park in Beijing

The Beijing Zoo is a zoological park in Beijing, China. Located in the Xicheng District, the zoo occupies an area of 89 hectares (220 acres), including 5.6 hectares (14 acres) hectares of lakes and ponds. It is one of the oldest zoos in China and has one of the largest animal collections in the country.

The zoo and its aquarium has over 450 species of land animals and over 500 species of marine animals. In all, it is home to 14,500 animals. More than six million visitors come to the zoo each year. The zoo was founded in 1906 during the late Qing Dynasty. Like many of Beijing's parks, the zoo's grounds resemble classical Chinese gardens, with flower beds amidst natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of meadows, small streams and rivers, lotus pools and hills dotted with pavilions and historical buildings.

The Beijing Zoo is best known for its collection of rare animals endemic to China including the Giant Pandas, which are zoo's most popular animals, the golden snub-nosed monkey, South China Tiger, white-lipped deer, Pere David's Deer, Crested Ibis, Chinese Alligator and the Chinese Giant Salamander. Other endangered or threatened species include Siberian tiger, yak, Przewalski's horse, snow leopard, Tibetan gazelle, and kiang.

The zoo also has a broad collection of megafauna such as lion, jaguar, clouded leopard, Asian and African elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, black bear, polar bear, tapir, sea turtle, penguin, gorilla, chimpanzee, kangaroo, muntjac, addax, zebra, otter, bat, flamingo and lemur. The Beijing Zoo has 13 of the world's 15 species of cranes.

Inside the Zoo, the Beijing Ocean Hall was opened to the public in 1999. It is the biggest ocean hall in China. The spacious hall is subdivided into several zones: the Hall of Tropical Rain Forest, the Hall of the Shark, the Ocean Theater, and the Ocean Library and Reading Hall as well as a few others. Visitors can expect to see a variety of sea creatures up close and personal, learn more about their natural living environment in the ocean, and enjoy an entertaining sea animal show. The beauty and grace of the animals will make your trip hard to forget.

For more information, please visit http://top-chinatour.com