Bringing nature to life

Fudan University's new Zujia Biological Museum will serve as home to many types of mammals, birds, insects, plants, fish, amphibians and reptiles. Cao Chen reports.

Shanghai-based Fudan University is to present zoological and plant specimens, collected since the 1950s, to the public.

Fudan University's new Zujia Biological Museum, will serve as home to examples of 210 types of mammal, 850 types of bird, 10,000 insects, 100,000 plants, 560 types of fish, 93 kinds of amphibian and 183 types of reptile.

"Earlier they were stored in cabinets in a 200-square-meter room, which was really cramped," says Tang Shimin, the laboratory technician of the life sciences school at the university.