China Science and Technology Museum

The China Science and Technology Museum is the country's largest hands-on science centre, next to the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing's Olympic Park. It opened in 1988 in a smaller building closer to the centre, moved to a new home for the 2008 Olympics and fully reopened in 2010. Four permanent floors cover the Glory of Chinese Science, Exploration and Discovery, Science Technology and Life, and Challenge and Future, plus a wing on the universe. Interactive rigs on the Chang'e lunar probe, earthquake simulators and reconstructions of ancient inventions such as Zhang Heng's seismograph make it especially rewarding for families. An IMAX cinema, a 3D theatre and a domed planetarium round out the programme. It is a ten-minute walk from the Olympic aquatics centre.