.The Beijing Zoo is a zoological park in  Xicheng District. Founded in 1906 during the late Qing dynasty, it is one of the oldest zoos in China. The zoo is also a centre of zoological research that studies and breeds rare animals from various continents.

The zoo occupies an area of 89 hectares including lakes and ponds. It has one of the largest animal collections in the country. The zoo and its aquarium have over 450 species of land animals and over 500 species of marine animals; in all, it is home to 14,500 animals.

More than six million people visit the zoo each year. Like many of Beijing's parks, the zoo's grounds resemble classical Chinese gardens, with flower beds amidst natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of meadows, small streams and rivers, lotus pools, and hills dotted with pavilions and historical buildings.

The Beijing Zoo is well known for its huge collection of rare animals endemic to China including the giant pandas, which were about all we had time to see since we had a plane to catch. We also visited the monkey cages and got some good photos of a rare breed of wolf.