Beijing has begun preparations to build a new exhibition space of the National Natural History Museum of China, one of three major cultural facilities planned along its South Central Axis.

As the only national, comprehensive natural history museum in China, the museum currently hosts around 1.8 million visitors annually with its exhibition space of 8,400 square meters. To accommodate more visitors, the new site will cover 5.77 hectares, with a total construction area nearing 200,000 square meters. It will showcase exhibits of geology, paleontology, ancient humans, zoology, botany, and marine life.

With preparatory work already underway, the main construction of the museum is set to begin next April, and trial operations are expected in October 2029.

The new facility will follow a globally selected design plan and meet world-class standards for both construction and exhibition, according to an official from the municipal reform and development authority.

A new exhibition space of approximately 1.72 hectares for the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, and a national-level cultural facility featuring an above-ground construction area of around 120,000 square meters, will also be built.

Additionally, nearly 4 hectares of public spaces for these cultural facilities, with an underground construction area of approximately 80,000 square meters, will be developed. These public spaces are primarily designed to channel crowd flow, provide visitor guidance, offer leisure services, and ensure underground connectivity among museums and with the Dahongmen subway station.

These cultural facilities and public spaces will be located in the northern part of the planned 76.53-hectare cultural exhibition zone in Dahongmen, an area previously known for a wholesale clothing market.

Planning for more national-level cultural facilities on the South Central Axis is underway, officials said.

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