Beijing Zoo was originally built in 1908 and initially named the Ten Thousand Animal Garden. The Zoo is a comprehensive zoo, which includes the Beijing Aquarium. Originally, it was a Ming Dynasty imperial manor, but during the Qing Dynasty, the area became an animal husbandry and plant cultivation area. After the demise of the Qing Dynasty, the park was reconstructed and known as West Suburb Park; then in 1955, its name was changed to Beijing Zoo. Today, The zoo is a public education and research center.
The Beijing Zoo mainly exhibits wild and rare animals from China and abroad. Visitors from around the world come to visit the zoo for the Panda and the Golden Monkey, both native to China. The zoo boasts a population of 20,000 animals with at least 900 species. Conditions at the zoo used to be very poor and still lag well behind the best Western zoos, but facilities are being improved. However, it's still not a place to visit if you are easily disturbed by animal discomfort.
Visitors coming to the zoo can take a boat (only operational in the warmer months) all the way to the Summer Palace and Purple Bamboo Park. Prices are RMB40 for adults and RMB25 for children and students.
The best time to visit the zoo is during the warm months, when all the animals are still active.
Getting There: Take subway to Zhiximen station on Line 2 followed by a 15-20 minute short walk heading west or taking any of the buses mentioned above.
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