Beijing >> BEIJING ZOO

Beijing Zoo is the oldest and largest zoo in Asia Pacific and the world-famous home of the giant pandas. Located in the northwest area of the city, it is home to more than 7000 animals, including golden monkeys from Sichuan, yaks from Tibet, sea turtles from the Chinese sea, Manchurian tigers and snow leopards. The zoo is also famous for being the home of zoological research and for housing many rare birds and animals. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-early 20th century), the zoo was a private garden, but later became an experimental farm and small menagerie. It was first opened to the public in 1908, but was destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Beijing (1937-1945), only to reopen in 1950.