On the morning of August 20, 2011, Mr. Liu Qi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, together with Mr. Guo Jinlong, Vice Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing City carried out an investigation and research program in BMNH on ‘how to facilitate the construction and development of museums and upgrade their public cultural service level’ accompanied by Vice Mayors Mr. Li Shixiang, Mr. Lu Wei and Mr. Chen Ping, and Heads of the General Office of CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, the Publicity Department of CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, Beijing Municipal Commission of City Planning, Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform and Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Leaders of Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (BJAST), including Mr Miao Lifeng, Secretary of CPC BJAST committee, Mr. Ding Hui, BJAST President, and Mr. Li Yongjin, Vice Secretary of CPC BJAST committee were present. Mr. Meng Qingjin, BMNH Director, gave a report on BMNH’s functional positioning, collections, research, exhibitions, science communication and overseas cooperation and exchange. Mr. Meng emphasized on the irreplaceable values of BMNH in promoting the CapitalCity's ecological education effort, protecting biodiversity, cultivating the public science awareness and life-long learning, and its efforts in enhancing the museum’s social influence. Mr. Meng also elaborated on issues concerning BMNH’s extension project such as the site selection, conceptual design, challenges and the vision for future development.

BMNH, as the first comprehensive natural history museum built on its own by the then newly founded PRC as the Preparatory Office of China Central Natural History Museum. Now BMNH features permanent and thematic exhibitions on paleontology, botany, zoology and anthropology. Among its trove of more than 200,000 collections, some are really rare and valuable, for example, the world-renowned Stegodon zdanskyi, the 26-meter-long giant Mamenchisaurus jingyanensis, the only mummified dinosaur in China, polar bears, rhinoceroses, Tibetan antelopes, and other precious specimens given to Chinese leaders by overseas friends. BMNH boasts of a team of young and dedicated scientists who undertake many significant domestic foundation-sponsored research projects, cooperate closely with prestigious international institutes like Yale University andAmericanMuseumof Natural History and get involved in historic papers published in Science and Nature, to name just a few. In order to communicate natural science to the public, BMNH organizes various activities like the well-received ‘Little Docent’, ‘Museum Night’, ‘Biology Class’ and thematic summer camps and plays an inspirational, leading role among museums. A travelling exhibition - the Dinosaurs fromChina- has been staged in a dozen of countries includingUSA,Australia,ItalyandSwedenand greatly enhanced the image ofBeijing. BMNH also works closely with ICOM, IFAW, IEPOA and other international nonprofit organizations to tap international resources for a better world.

Mr. Liu Qi visited the Gallery of the Beauty of Animals and the special exhibition on shells, and affirmed BMNH’s achievements in collections, researches, exhibitions and science communication. He was very glad to know that BMNH has made efforts to utilize social resources and curate temporary exhibitions and plays a leading role in organizing science communication activities.  

After reviewing the designs and sand table models of BMNH’s new wing project and being informed of the functional positioning of the new wing, Mr. Liu Qi proposed that BMNH shall meet the highest standards in the Capital City, make a cohesive plan to utilize the sites at both the southern and northern sites of the current venue to support the museum’s development, and carry out the new-wing project properly.

BMNH Deputy Directors Ms. Li Jianwen, Mr. Feng Guangping, Mr. Yang Jingcheng and Mr. Yang Xiangkui were present through the investigation.