After three years of construction, the New China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing will open its doors Tuesday. Costing over 1 billion yuan ($146 million) to build, the new museum presents a modern approach to science and technology with distinctive themes and state-of-the-art technology. Interactive experiments and activities, a breathtaking dinosaur exhibition and hands-on activities for children have been integrated into the museum.

"We have reasons to believe that people, especially children, will love to visit the New Museum because it is both fun and instructive and they will be instantly drawn into interacting with the numerous games and experiments," explained museum curator Xu Yanhao.

Covering 48,000 square meters with a floor space of 102,000 square meters, the New Museum is cubic in structure with a partly green exterior. The architecture symbolizes science and technology with the green color standing for nature. The combination of the two elements reflects the concept of pursuing harmony between humans and nature.

The five-floor museum is located inside the National Olympic Green and has five themed exhibition rooms; Children's Science Paradise, The Glory of China, Exploration and Discovery, Science, Technology and Life and Challenges and the Future. It also has a public exhibition hall named The Beautifulness of Science.

Children's Science Paradise on the first floor is the most eye-catching. It has been designed for children aged from 3 to 10 years old. The items on display allow youngsters to experience life and nature. A range of hands-on exhibits including Expression Guessing, the Hand Game and Telling Left from Right encourage kids to improve their reactions and communication.

Children can learn about the environment through games such as Recycling Trash and Constructing an Environmentally Friendly Cabin. In Happy Farm kids have a chance to get their hands dirty by pulling up carrots, milking cows and transporting grains. In Exploring Secrets of Animals children can observe creatures in their natural habitats and Space Station allows kids to drive spacecraft and experience the Time Tunnel.

"We hope parents will bring their children to the New Museum and experience the magic of science and technology," said Wang Shuang, publicity officer at the New Museum. "It is more than worthwhile."

Walking out of Children's Science Paradise, the next themed exhibition is The Glory of China, displaying the civilization of Ancient China from different aspects including medical science, astronomy, physical science, agriculture and mathematics.

Exploration and Discovery is divided into two parts that attempt to unravel some of the mysteries of the universe; light, electricity, life and sports. Science, Technology and Life contains 250 items that reveal the changes and impacts that science and technology have had on human beings.

Challenges and the Future is aimed at stimulating ideas about the future, while The Beautifulness of Science offers a further five themed exhibition spaces.

A major highlight of the New Museum is Dinosaur Square. China's oldest and largest dinosaur fossils will be on display after arriving at their new home from southern Yunnan Province Saturday.

The fragile bones, which were transported from Yunnan Friday in special anti-shock vehicles, are the skeletons of three prehistoric dinosaurs and are expected to draw massive crowds when the New Museum opens its doors.

A 27-meter-long, 6.5-meter-high long-necked herbivore, Chuanjiesaurus anaensis (sauropoda), with a lizard-like tail, dates back to the Jurassic Period, 158 million years ago and is the largest dinosaur skeleton in China. The 180-million-year-old Lufengosaurus huenei (prosauropod) is 7.1 meters long and 2.6 meters high and dates from the late Triassic to early Jurassic periods. It is believed to be the oldest in the country. The 2.45-meter-high Dilophosaurus sinensis (theropod) is 180 million-years-old and from the Pliensbachian stage of the early Jurassic period.

The fossils will be protected by 50 guards day and night. They were donated by Yunnan Provincial Government to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and will be permanently displayed in Beijing, according to a Yunnan government spokesman.

Source: Global Times