Shenzhen’s new landmark opens next Tuesday and is hosting two pre-inauguration visits to gauge capacity
Shenzhen Natural History Museum bookings soar ahead of grand opening
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Interest in the Shenzhen Natural History Museum has been running high ahead of the new landmark’s official opening in Pingshan District on 28 July. According to the museum’s WeChat public account, its free trial reservation system crashed upon launching on Monday morning due to demand that greatly exceeded the slots for the two test events on Wednesday and Saturday.
The Shenzhen Natural History Museum is south China’s biggest comprehensive natural history museum, covering a floor area of around 105,300 square metres, a land area of roughly 42,000 square metres, and an exhibition space of approximately 35,200 square metres. Packed into this massive space are eight exhibition halls that touch on areas such as the cosmos, earth, evolution, dinosaurs, humanity, biology, ecology and the homeland.
The facility also features a collection of more than 200 taxidermy species donated by the late US businessman and philanthropist Kenneth E. Behring, which were originally showcased in Futian District’s Shenzhen Museum.
Background to the Shenzhen Natural History Museum’s two trial visits
In the lead up to the grand opening, the Shenzhen Natural History Museum had set aside a quota of 5,000 admissions for the trial event on Wednesday and 8,000 for Saturday. The sheer number of users attempting to make reservations quickly overwhelmed the server, with online users reporting that they were unable to load the page.
Social media comments cited by China Daily included “the system crashed the moment it opened” and “I started trying at 9 am and finally managed to book at 1 pm.”
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In response to the strong demand for the trial experience, the museum announced on Tuesday that it would add an extra 2,000 slots for the Wednesday event. Earlier today, the museum said it would also boost the quota for the Saturday trial by an additional 2,000 tickets.
The Shenzhen Natural History Museum also explained that the events were being held to assess the handling capacity of the venue prior to the grand opening. After launching, the museum’s eight exhibition halls and public facilities will permanently open to the public.
Further details about the museum
Regarding ticket prices, registration and guidelines for entry, the facility said it would make all announcements soon via official platforms.
As for opening hours, the museum is set to operate between Tuesday and Sunday, from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm and will close every Monday, excluding Mondays that fall on statutory public holidays or during the winter and summer breaks.
Visitors can reach the new Shenzhen Natural History Museum by taking Line 16 of the Shenzhen Metro and getting off at Shabu Station’s Exit D. The museum can then be reached by walking for approximately eight to ten minutes or by transferring to the D53 bus.
The museum is just one of ten new cultural facilities that Shenzhen is building to boost its credentials as a creative capital. Other projects on the list include the Shenzhen Art Museum (new venue), the Shenzhen Opera House and the Qianhai Museum, which is scheduled to launch on 30 October.
