National Maritime Museum of China 国家海洋博物馆

About National Maritime Museum of China

Its permanent areas include Ancient Oceans, the Age of Dragons, Today's Oceans and Journeys of Discovery. Fossils from early marine communities provide a concrete starting point, while the newer Future Oceans presentation connects past changes with possible future conditions. Choose a sequence of related galleries rather than trying to absorb the whole building at once; this is a substantial Binhai museum visit, separate from central Tianjin's museum cluster.

The museum originated from a 2007 proposal by more than 30 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who wrote to the State Council recommending a national maritime museum; the proposal was approved, and after a site-selection process beginning in 2008, the National Development and Reform Commission approved a location in the eastern coastal area of Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in 2010.

A global design competition in 2012-2013 shortlisted six firms; the winning scheme, submitted by the Australian architect Philip Cox (菲利普·考克斯), was chosen unanimously in a second round, and won the World Architecture Award, the World Culture Building Award and the Best Competition Design of the Year at the 2013 World Architecture Festival in Singapore. Construction began in October 2014 and the building passed completion inspection in December 2018.

The Ancient Oceans gallery, on the first floor, covers 2,577 square metres and presents 4.6 billion years of oceanic evolution in geological sequence. Jointly administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部) and the Tianjin municipal government, the museum is described as the world's largest maritime museum; it opened for trial operation on 1 May 2019, closed from 24 January 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak, and reopened on 14 July 2020.

What to look for

• Ancient Oceans displays on early life, including stromatolites and Chengjiang-biota fossils.
• Today's Oceans and the Future Oceans presentation for contrasting present and future marine environments.

The surrounding area

Separate coastal municipal area with maritime and modern cultural attractions.

Location & getting there

Getting to National Maritime Museum of China

The museum's official address is 377 Haixuan Road in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, Binhai. Use this address rather than the inconsistent street number in older travel listings.