For travelers who want to embark on a scientific endeavor or seek a unique experience, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is the perfect attraction.

The museum boasts society’s progress in the scientific, technological and cultural fields. The attraction is both an educational and ideological experience.

Located in Pudong, Shanghai on metro line 2, the museum attracted over 23 million visitors as of July 2010, making it one of China’s most visited modern museums.

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum covers a total construction area of 68, 000 square meters and a total floor space of 98, 000 square meters. Embodying the theme of 'Nature, Man and Science and Technology', the museum also served as the main venue for the APEC meeting in 2001.

The museum, shaped in a spherical glass dome, is situated in a pool of water and is surrounded by various water features. Composed of a basement and four additional floors, the building exhibits different themes on each level.

Attractions on the basement level include the IMAX Dome Theatre, IMAX 3-D Large-Format Theatre, Temporary Exhibition Hall, Collection Exhibition Area and various souvenir shops. Currently, the museum is featuring films such as the Hubble Space Telescope, Polar Exploration and Adrenaline Rush. The unique shooting techniques combined with massive viewing screens boast a realistic experience.

Upon entering the museum, one will notice that the floor is separated into many hands-on and unconventional exhibitions. Instead of walking through typical displays you would expect to find in a museum, you will find yourself amidst a realistic jungle or perhaps in the outback. The animals in 'The World of Animals' exhibition is separated accordingly to the country the species originated from. The realistic atmosphere is enhanced by the life-size dimensions of the animals and the natural habitat they are situated in; some animals are even captured in mid-leap.

The first floor also houses the Spectrum of Life, which captures the natural scenery in China’s Yunnan Province. The exhibition hall is divided into a rain forest section and a stone forest section. The ecological diversity and the close imitation of natural textures from the stone steps you walk on to the artificial waterfalls gives the exhibition an exotic feel.

The second floor is home to the Hall of Earth Home, the Hall of Information Age, the Spider Exhibition Hall and Robot World. The third floor homes the Space theatre, the Astronavigation World, the Hall of Exploration Light and the Hall of people and Health.

As the most hands-on level in the museum, the third floor include activities such as kicking soccer balls into a goal post that is projected onto a wall, competing against a robot in archery and checkers as well as a mild coaster ride through the human digestive system.

All this is for an entrance fee of 60 Yuan for Adults and 20 Yuan for Children less than 1.2 meters tall and accompanied by an adult. Additional admission fees apply for theatre viewing on the basement level. The museum is open from 09:00 to 17:15 every day except Monday. For more information, visit the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum official website.

Address: No. 2000 Century Boulevard

By Christina Zhou