Beijing Zoo

Beijing Zoo, one of China's largest, is located in the Xicheng District of Beijing. The history of the zoo can date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. During the Ming Dynasty, it was named the Royal Manor, and in the early Qing Dynasty, it was the private garden of Beile Fu Kang’an, the third son of Fu Heng who a relative of the emperor and a meritorious official. Its common name at the time was the Garden of the 3rd Beile. The garden was divided into an eastern and a western part; the eastern portion was named Le Shan Yuan, and the western as Ke Yuan. In the 32nd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1906), Ke Yuan and Le Shan Yuan were merged into one unit and was henceforth known as “the place for tens of thousands of animals,” for many animals had been begun to be kept there.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the zoo was fully renovated, expanded, and renamed the “Park of Western Suburb;” in 1955, it was renamed the Beijing Zoo. The zoo covers 50 hectares with a floor area of about 50,000 square meters and activity space for animals about 60,000 square meters. Each exotic animal belongs to a special accommodation area such as Rhinoceros House, Hippos House, Liger House, Bear House, Monkey House, Deer Park, Elephant Park, Antelope Park, Giraffe Park, Panda Park, Marine Mammals Center, Gorilla Center, Amphibian and Reptile House, Songbird Center, and more.

Animals in the permanent exhibits include some of China’s most unique and rare such as giant pandas, golden monkeys, Manchurian tigers, Thorold's white-lipped deer, elks, ponies, and Red-crowned cranes. International species are also available, such as African chimpanzees, Australian kangaroos, panthers, Mexican hairless manatees, European bison, and more. With an upper floor and lower floor, the Amphibian and Reptile House has over 90 large and small exhibition boxes and is home to over 100 kinds of reptiles from around the world, among which includes the largest crocodile in the world—the saltwater crocodile.

Opening Hours:
1st April to 31st October: 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
1st November to 31st March: 7:30 am – 5:30 pm

Routes: Bus No. 103, 808, 105, 111, 7, 27, 904, and 102