The revels of the night

Children armed with flashlights set their sight on a prehistoric fish exhibit at the National Zoological Museum of China on Saturday. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Parents and children unravel the mysteries of Beijing's zoological museum after hours

On a chilly winter night last weekend, over a 100 visitors gathered at the National Zoological Museum of China (NZMC) in Beijing for a nighttime tour. Armed with flashlights as they carefully treaded through the museum's darkened corridors, children and parents whispered in hushed tones as if afraid that the taxidermy beasts and creatures sculpted in wax might suddenly spring to life, as in the Hollywood blockbuster series Night At the Museum.

There are rows upon rows of specimens: whale skeletons and elephant bones, taxidermy tigers and lions with their claws outstretched and their fangs bare. A specter of anticipation attends to the group's every step.

"The museum at night is a lot different to during the day," whispered 9-year-old Mu Tianchi. "During the day, I can see everything in the museum as I walk in, but at night, everything is dark except for the animals I aim my torch at. It's like the animals are suddenly coming to life."

Mu said that the tour reminded him of the television show Man vs. Wild, in which British explorer Bear Grylls is taken to extreme locations, such as a desert, a swamp or tropical forest, and must find ways to survive. "When I aimed the torch at the black bear, it felt like there were only the two of us there, and we were going to fight each other to death!" Mu enthused.

Melding fact and fiction

The museum organized its first nighttime tour in 2010, to coincide with the release of the second film in the Night at the Museum series. Since 2013, they have hosted nighttime tours nearly every Saturday. A typical tour begins at 7 pm, with museum guides leading groups of visitors through its many exhibits. The museum provides tents and sleeping bags, and visitors are permitted to sleep in the museum for the night.

Huang Chengming, one of the organizers of the museum's nighttime tours, said the release of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb in China has reignited interest in the tours. The film has taken more than 200 million yuan ($32.17 million) at the Chinese box office since opening in cinemas earlier this month.

"The latest installment [of Night at the Museum] has given our program a huge boost," Huang said. "Normally, we have around 40 visitors from week to week, but this Saturday, we had more than 100."

One child who coaxed her parents into taking her to the museum after seeing the film was 12-year-old Zhu Zirui, who was joined by two of her friends.

"When I saw the monkeys in the exhibition room, I thought of the naughty monkey called Dexter [in the film] who is always stealing the main character's keys. It was so cute!" Zhu said.

When the clock struck 10 pm and visitors were asked to pitch their tents for the night, Zhu insisted on sleeping near the monkeys.

"I wouldn't want to sleep in the insects exhibition area. They creep me out," said Zhu, shuddering. "Imagine if they were to come back to life at midnight, and started to swarm us!"

Nighttime thrills

Huang said the nighttime tours gave the museum a different dimension and provided visitors with a unique experience.

"[We] attract more people to come to visit the museum to learn about animals and the nature, especially children and young people who would usually not go to the museum," Huang said. "There are also fewer visitors at night compared to during the daytime, so the visitors have more space and freedom to explore the exhibits."

Huang said that during a typical weekend day, the museum would be packed with 500 to 800 at any one moment.

One of the youngest children at the nighttime tour when Metropolitan visited was 5-year-old Li Yihan.

"I want her to have a different experience," said her father, Li Meisen, who accompanied her. "I think the nighttime tour will take her out of her comfort zone, and she'll be excited to experience something new."

The little girl was indeed taken out of her comfort zone, when she suddenly burst into tears while watching a "4D" film about dinosaurs. In addition to 3D projection, visitors sat in mechanical seats that moved with the action, and were exposed to "environmental" effects like wind.

"She experienced something unusual and different, which was what I wanted," said her father.

An outdoor activities enthusiast, Li Meisen said that he hoped the experience of pitching a tent inside the museum and sleeping next to animal exhibits would help cultivate her daughter's interest in the outdoors.

"I hope that when she's older, we can participate in outdoor activities together, such as hiking and running in the wild," said Li Meisen as his daughter rolled around on the museum floor.

Are you scared yet?

Besides the NZMC, the National Museum of China and the Beijing Museum of National History have also led nighttime tours in years past.

Huang said the nighttime tours were a big logistical challenge. "Our museum covers 5,500 square meters. Hosting nighttime tours requires a lot of staff, from security personnel to museum guides."

Li Meisen however, said that the tour did not quite live up to his hopes. "When I visited the Natural History Museum in London, they had simulations of animal sounds and they broadcast videos to try to really bring the experience to life," said Li Meisen.

"[Here], it's a little dull for children, not to mention for adults like me."

Huang said that they had discussed adding sound and movement to the exhibits, but decided against it out of consideration that it might make the exhibits a little too real and risk frightening children.

At least one visitor to the museum that night thought the exhibits were adequately lifelike. As the clock struck 11:30 pm and the visitors settled into their sleeping bags, Mu stared intently at a model of a black bear.

"My parents always call me xionghaizi [bear child in Chinese, referring to someone who is wild and unruly]," said Mu.

"When the bear comes to life at midnight, I want to ask him why my parents think I'm like a bear."