Unraveling the X-Files
When 5-year-old Zhang Rui visited the "Science of Aliens" exhibition at the Agricultural Exhibition Center, he was immediately enchanted by a figurine of an extraterrestrial being with an oversized head and large beady eyes in a glass chamber. "This person has six toes!" he exclaimed, while staring in astonishment at an "autopsy" depicting one of the aliens allegedly aboard a spacecraft that crashed at Roswell in the US state of New Mexico in 1947. While the supernatural and aliens might be the stuff of folklore in the US, it's still a new attraction to many people in China.
Sponsored by the China Association of Children's Culture and Art and the Science Museum of London, the exhibition has attracted visitors of all ages curious about life beyond Earth. The month-long exhibition offers more than just fiction, however, balancing much of its displays with science.
Yang Jianli, curator of the exhibition, told Metro Beijing that although exhibits are imaginative in style, they offer substantial science to explain some of the universe's most perplexing mysteries.
The exhibition's displays are mostly interactive, enticing visitors with pictures, specimens and digital media. While the focus is on aliens, earthly creatures are used as a reference for how aliens might possibly look.
The centerpieces of the exhibition are two giant interactive platforms that introduce visitors to separate fictional planets named "Aurelia" and "Blue Moon," both of which are inhabited by out of worldly creatures. Zhang's grandmother surnamed Ma liked what she saw, but told Metro Beijing she worried some exhibits would be too complicated for children to understand. "I am not a big fan of aliens, but I viewed this exhibition as a good opportunity to let my grandson foster his interest in science-fiction," she said.
One of the most eye-catching displays can be found in the form of a group of oddly shaped rocks displayed in a glass cabinet.
Among the palm-sized rocks, some bear a pair of bull-like horns while others appear to have protruding eyes. Their exact origin is unknown, although theories abound that they may be from another planet.
All have limbs like a human. At first glance, it's easy to mistake them as souvenirs or alien paraphernalia. But Wang Zhen, director of the Beijing Ancient Jade Specimen Research Center, explained that the rocks, which are being shown to the public for the first time, were carved over 100 million years ago.
"We don't know where or by whom these rocks were carved, but there are theories that they might be the work of aliens from outer space," he said. "The jade they are made from cannot be found anywhere else on Earth."
According to Wang, the hardness of regular jade is between 6 and 6.5 degrees. The hardness of jade in the rocks at the exhibition is about 7.5 - a measurement so hard that it would require someone carving it with a diamond, the hardest known natural substance, for over a year to shape it into its current form.
"Shaping these rocks was probably done with a laser, rather than primitive tools," Wang said.
While Wang's words are enough to encourage even the most timid imaginations to run wild, the exhibition offers more than meets the eye to even the most resolute skeptics of the supernatural.
Where: Hall No.3, Agricultural Exhibition Center, 5 Nongzhanguan Beilu, Chaoyang district
When: 9 am-5 pm, until July 28
Tickets: 30 yuan
Contact: 5114-9115