I have never much seen the point of taxidermy. Invariably it fails to capture the true appearance or nature the dead animal involved. It is impossible to capture healthy fur, piercing eyes, or a vicious snarl in an animal that is dead. Furthermore in a museum I believe it also serves to give a rather stilted view of the animals featured. For instance how can you understand the speed and agility of a lynx or a leopard when the animal is left static in perpetuity?
This was one of the major impressions I took with me when I left Tianjin’s Natural History Museum. It seemed such a shame because the museum had many other things going in its favour. Perhaps quite ironically for a place that also deals with fossils and geology, the museum seemed to be defined by the differences in each floor—as though it were layered like ancient rock formations.
The ground floor took on something of an aquamarine hue, boasting an impressive aquarium fitted out with several small tanks of tropical fish as well as a larger enclosure home to sharks, turtles, and rays. These larger and more exotic creatures are visible from beneath a tunnel that meanders its way beneath the tank. It made for an almost hypnotic stroll as the blues from the water shone down brightly interspersed with the flashes and flickers of the creatures swimming by overhead.
The second-floor offered the greatest disappointment for me. It boasted a wide array of animals all stuffed and mounted. Despite there being two giant moose, which were genuinely eye-opening; the place seemed dark, tired, and depressing. It was a sad contrast to the floor below with the bright light of the aquariums and the fleeting movement of fish gliding around. I was particularly disheartened at the display of bear and tiger, such proud animals reduced to ugly ornaments.
The top floor is on a far smaller scale, occupied by insects and seashells. I found it quite interesting to see several displays of scorpions, locusts and even sea-horses—all delicacies in certain areas of China.
Without any doubt though, the centrepiece of the museum is the front hall. The room is a giant glass hemisphere home to the skeletons of around a dozen or so dinosaurs. From the roof are suspended two or three small teradactyles. On the edges of the circular platform are several smaller types including a vicious looking raptor. In the centre are two large specimens with long tales and tall necks similar to diplodocus or brontosaurus. The views of the dinosaurs are awesome. There is a samll walkway that runs along the side of their platform, but each floor also has a balcony that opens onto the hall; from the third floor it is possible to almost look the diplodocus in the eyes.