Beijing Zoo

The Beijing Zoo lies west of Xizhimen and is the western part of the city.

Its speciality is the giant panda of China, and many people come to see what has become a national animal icon (interestingly, this requires a fee in addition to the general admission cost). On the minus side, people have slammed the Zoo for being a prison for animals, based on the way conditions are.

The zoo was a royal manor in the Ming Dynasty, but became a zoo (actually some kind of experimental field for farming) in the Qing Dynasty. With the founding of the People's Republic, it was given an official designation as a zoo.

Recently, there was much controversy when word came that the Beijing Zoo would be moved. There are positive and negative views on the matter.