Construction of China's first national science museum started in November 1984, at the junction of Zhongzhu Road and Beisanhuan Road in northern Beijing. The museum stands on 7 hectares, with the buildings occupying 52, 000 square metres. It is divided into eight sections: exhibits and education, laboratories, video training, research and design, information, equipment service, motor station and management. The museum has eight laboratories for experiments in physics, chemistry, electronics, biology, computer, model making, and astronomy. The aim is to develop the ability to solve problems, and to create. It is the biggest science museum in China, and holds exhibitions to introduce modern sciences, organize experiments, hold training activities and have exchanges with science museums in foreign countries. The laboratories are mainly for young people in high schools or elementary schools. The museum will try to rouse children's interest in science while they are young and encourage them to do experiments on their own. There is a combined cinema lecture room with 98 seats and a cyclorama cinema with 500 seats. A library has a reading room and 260, 000 books and hundreds of magazines.

The second phase of the museum's construction started in February 1998 and the project was completed in September 1999 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. As the largest one in China, the museum opened to the public early in 2000. With a total investment of 100 million yuan (US$12 million), the construction area of the second stage is 19, 000 square metres, and the exhibition hall covers nearly 10, 000 square metres.

The first stage of the museum, which was completed and opened to the public in 1988, covers an area of 20, 000 square metres, but the space of the three-storey exhibition hall is only 3, 900 square metres. About 300 ancient and modern items are on display. In 1997, the museum received more than 700, 000 visitors. After the second phase of the project was completed, visitors can see more items on display regarding the environment, information technology, life sciences, energy and communications. Some technological advances are also displayed at the hall. And visitors can operate some facilities and do experiments by themselves. The museum cooperates with some key national labs and the industrial sector to supply items for display. In the museum, there are a 200-seat lecture hall and two 50-seat lecture halls for scientific discussions and lectures. In addition, visitors have place to eat, rest and entertain themselves.