"The 110-year-old institution, among the first batch of China's early-stage museums, stands out as the only one that still preserves its original site, architecture, collections, display cases, documents and related materials since its inception," Zhang says.

The museum has not rested on its laurels, making great strides in the past century with its science education, services and research, she adds. "We aim a further takeoff in the new era," she says, referring to the development of the Tianjin Natural History Museum.