As the world undergoes a new round of rapid technological revolution and industrial transformation, Beijing is embracing the integration of science, technology and culture in increasingly diverse ways. From a brand-new science museum opening this autumn to long-term plans for a national sci-fi theme park, the city is reimagining how cutting-edge technology can engage, educate and inspire the public — while also breathing new life into its industrial heritage.

A New Science Museum Opens September 30

[Photo via Beijing Daily]

On September 30, the Beijing Future Science and Technology Museum will officially open to the public. Located within the Beijing Shi Yuan International Tourism Resort (Beijing Expo Park). It spans 21,000 square meters, with 13,000 square meters dedicated to exhibition space, making it the first large-scale interactive science museum in northwestern Beijing. One of its standout attractions is an immersive low-gravity experience area, where visitors can simulate movement in weightless conditions and explore aerospace technology up close. On its opening day, the museum will launch a series of public activities, including science education programs, immersive experiences and open classes on sci-tech innovation.

Robots Take Center Stage at the Auto Museum

[Photo via Beijing Auto Museum]

While the Future Science Museum looks ahead to its September debut, another exhibition has already been drawing crowds this summer. From July 4 to October 11, the Beijing Auto Museum is hosting the "MAKE Friends" 2026 Robot Exploration Exhibition. It builds a bridge between cutting-edge robotics and public science education—a theme that resonates with the broader wave of tech-inspired public engagement sweeping the city.

From Industrial Relics to a Sci-Fi Future

[Photo via Beijing Daily App]

Looking further ahead, Beijing is planning something even more ambitious. Shijingshan District has announced plans to build a national sci-fi theme park. Since the China Science Fiction Convention first came to Shougang Park in 2020, the district has ramped up efforts to develop its science fiction industry. In 2025, Shijingshan's sci-fi industry reported 28 billion yuan in revenue, accounting for over 40 percent of Beijing's total.

Over the next five years, Shijingshan will accelerate the development of the Beijing Future Digital Space Innovation Pilot Zone (北京未來數字空間創新試驗區) and the Cultural Tech Nexus Beijing AI Innovation Block (文化智境北京人工智能創新街區), and systematically foster a sci-fi industrial framework featuring "One Park, One Block, and One City".

The "One Park" refers to Shougang Park. The framework is aimed at consolidating signature resources of the park, including blast furnaces, industrial pipe corridors and waterfront areas. In the future, the park will host a sci-fi exhibition venue, a real-scene sci-fi filming base and sci-fi-themed public leisure spaces, with plans to build a national sci-fi theme park.

The "One Block" encompasses AI content enterprises, digital studios and sci-fi R&D laboratories. Specifically, two-way transformation channels will be developed to connect traditional cultural landmarks, such as Moshikou and Fahai Temple, with AI technologies, including those for smart wearables and perceptual interaction. The Sci-Fi Future Digital Quarter will undergo an upgrade.

Under the "One City" initiative, Shijingshan will attract and nurture high-end innovation platforms and leading tech enterprises, and create a comprehensive service hub that integrates industrial matchmaking, achievement trading and talent exchange. The district will continuously revitalize urban spaces and make the most of the value of industrial heritage, to create an exclusive sci-fi urban brand, and develop a sci-fi city anchored in the national capital, with influence over the whole Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Furthermore, Shijingshan will integrate all links along the full industry chain covering sci-fi creation, technological breakthroughs, communication, operation and scenario application. Pursuing multi-pronged progress in policies, capital, talent and branding, the district will build a full-life-cycle service system. It will continue to host the China Science Fiction Convention, further upgrade its flagship events including the Science Fiction Planet Competition, and make "science fiction" its most distinctive icon.

A City Where Technology Meets Imagination

What ties these initiatives together is a common thread: Beijing is leveraging its technological strengths not just for innovation in the lab, but for public engagement, education and cultural enrichment. From a new science museum that turns textbook knowledge into hands-on experience, to a robot exhibition that brings futuristic technology into a museum setting, and finally to a planned sci-fi theme park that will transform industrial relics into a playground for the imagination—Beijing is demonstrating how science and technology can inspire, educate and connect with people in meaningful ways. As the city continues to integrate technology with culture, it is creating new spaces where the public can not only learn about the future, but experience it firsthand.

Compiled from CRI Online, International Web Portal of Beijing, Beijing Daily, The Beijing News, etc.