INFINITY AND BEYOND

New Shanghai Astronomy Museum Looks Out of This World

By Barnaby Lofton

After five years in construction, the Shanghai Astronomy Museum finally opened its doors to the public last month, reports Shine. Covering 38,000 square meters, and able to host 6,000 visitors a day, it is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world. From above, the museum resembles two connected planetary orbits, with a spherical theater sitting on one side and an inverted spherical dome on the other. The museum features a main building, a solar tower and a youth observation base and public observatory. The steel structures are built in irregular shapes to create a futuristic vibe, and several breakthroughs were made, such as the 30-meter-diameter dome cinema ‘hanging in the air’ and 200-meter-long spiral staircase with few holds. The main building consists of three structures for three celestial bodies: the Oculus, Inverted Dome and Sphere. Together they form a giant astronomical instrument that tracks time based on changes in light and shadow. It can also display China’s solar terms, created by ancient Chinese based on the changes in the sun’s position. “It’s more than just a building,” explains Lin Qing, director of the museum’s astronomical research center. “It’s also an exquisite astronomical instrument and the biggest exhibit of the museum.” Aimed at becoming a world-class planetarium, it offers unprecedented museum experiences, backed by cutting-edge interactive technologies and visualizations. The exhibition is divided into three zones – Home, Cosmos and Odyssey – to lead visitors on a tour around the solar system, faraway galaxies and even black holes, and to understand the history of astronomy and inspire people to think about its future. There are more than 300 exhibits, 85% of which are developed by the museum and over half are embedded with interactive functions. Another highlight is the museum’s collection of meteorites. They include the largest recovered piece of the Changxing Meteorite, which fell onto Shanghai’s Changxing Island in 1964 and destroyed a farmhouse. It is the only meteorite seen falling in Shanghai. Suffice to say we couldn’t be more excited. Shanghai Astronomy Museum is located at 380 Lingang Da Dao, near Dishui Lake Station on Metro Line 16.

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RANDOM NUMBER

20.6 Billion

That’s the total revenue in RMB of the Shenzhen Metro last year. The number puts the city top out of 22 metro companies in the Chinese mainland. Total net profit for the Shenzhen Metro was RMB11.1 billion, according to Jiemian. com. In second place was Beijing and in third place was Guangzhou, with RMB3.15 billion and RMB230 million in total profits, respectively. Data for the Shanghai metro was not made publicly available. Metro systems have expanded exponentially in recent years in Chinese cities, making it easier to get around first-, second- and even third-tier cities. Many cities, including Shenzhen, implement a model known as transit-oriented development (TOD). This combines metro construction and property development. Indeed, most of the Shenzhen metro’s annual revenue comes from property development.

DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

Zhang Ziyu

Standing at 2.26 meters tall, 14-year-old basketball player Zhang Ziyu appears to have a bright future ahead of her. The Shandong native recently went viral online after posting a dominate stat line in a U15 National Basketball League final in Hubei province. Zhang exploded with 42 points, 25 rebounds and six blocks – helping to lead her team to the championship. Zhang’s height runs in the family, with her father reportedly 213 centimeters tall and her mother standing nearly 2 meters.

Zhang hit her growth spurt early on in life – surpassing the 2 meter mark by the age of 11. She currently has more than 20 centimeters on Han Xu, the tallest player on the Chinese National women’s team. We look forward to seeing what her future holds. But for now, she’ll be enjoying sheer dominance on the youth courts.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

said one Weibo user after a hotel in Suzhou’s Wujiang district collapsed in mid-July. As of publication time, 23 victims have been rescued from the rubble, among which six were still alive and 17 had perished. Emergency personnel had rushed to the scene immediately after the tragic incident. The hotel is part of a Chinese hotel chain called Four Seasons (separate from the international hotel brand of the same name). The Jiangsu government is investigating the cause of the incident, which is currently unknown as of July 16. On Chinese social media, users sent well wishes for the emergency rescue team and the victims. Others have recalled the tragic hotel collapse in Quanzhou, Fujian in March 2020, which took 29 lives. “The collapse of the hotel in Suzhou reminds me of the hotel collapse in Quanzhou at the time of the pandemic. I hope that fewer people will perish and that this kind of thing will not happen again”

PODCASTER

Bottled in China

Hosted by Emilie Steckenborn, Bottled in China is a wide-ranging podcast show that shares an excitement for food, beer, wine and spirits from all over the world. The podcast has a particular focus on China, including conversations from industry leaders and experts. Listening to Bottled in China, you can immediately grasp Steckenborn’s passion for F&B and, in particular, wine. Steckenborn has lived in China now for almost a decade and originally came to explore an opportunity working with a wine importer. In addition to the podcast, she has worked with established wine brands and distributors to build wine education programs across China.

You can find her podcast on Spotify and other platforms.