The Shanghai Natural History Museum exhibitions have “Nature, Humans, Harmony” as their central theme and Evolution as their guiding thread. Process, Phenomenon, Mechanism and Culture provide starting points, and three main thematic modules, “The Symphony of Evolution”, “The Picture Scroll of Life” and “The Historical Epic of Civilization”, present 10 permanent displays which describe many of the various interlocking and complementary relationships which make up the natural world.
The Symphony of Evolution looks back over the course of evolution in the natural world, with its magnificent sweep and dramatic ups and downs. It introduces visitors to the origins of the universe and the Earth and the major events of evolutionary history, analysing the inner mechanisms by which that evolution took place.
The Picture Scroll of Life takes visitors through the natural world in all its wonderful variety, helping them to appreciate nature’s mystery and beauty and also to understand the multi-faceted skills which the various species have evolved to enable them to survive and propagate.
The Historical Epic of Civilization takes visitors back through the fluctuating history of human civilization, setting out its close reliance on the natural environment as it arose, developed and began new chapters. The close relationship between cultural variety and environmental variety is displayed, and visitors are shown how humans have clashed with the natural environment or lived in harmony with it at each stage. It is hoped that visitors will come to feel how recognizing and respecting nature and living in harmony with it is a precondition for the further development of humans and human civilization.
