My son is a little astronomy enthusiast. How can he not go to the Shanghai Observatory for a pilgrimage when he comes to Shanghai?

The Shanghai Astronomical Museum has convenient transportation and is located on the top of Sheshan, a 99-meter-high historical mountain in the southwest suburbs of Shanghai (I want to laugh). Are you used to seeing mountains and rivers? This mountain is really short, but for Shanghai, which is flat, it is truly the first mountain!

Because Sheshan Catholic Church and Shanghai Earthquake Museum are also located on Sheshan and not far apart, they can arrange to play together. Get off at Sheshan Station of Shanghai Metro Line 9 and take the bus directly. Remember to get off at Xisheshan Forest Park. The Observatory, Catholic Church, and Earthquake Museum are all located on Xisheshan. The air here is fresh. Come and walk, exercise your body, and learn astronomy and geography. What a good place to go!

Tickets are not required for Sheshan Park, but tickets for the Astronomical Museum are very cheap, 12 yuan for adults and 8 yuan for children. The opening hours are 8:00--16: 30. They are suitable for visiting and playing all seasons.

Walking up the steps from the entrance of Xiyushan Park, you will find dense forests and beautiful bamboos, beautiful scenery and fresh air. Not far away, you will see a slender and tall tower called the "Xiudao Tower". This tower has a brick and wooden structure, 29 meters high, seven floors and eight sides, and is beautiful in shape. It will make people feel moved to understand the whole story of the construction of this tower. This tower was built during the Northern Song Dynasty and was built by a Taoist named Zuoxiu (strangely, what is his surname? I don't know) with funds. After completion, he burned himself to death, which makes people sigh! This tower is beautiful in appearance and still stands upright despite thousands of years of wind and frost. It is one of the most famous monuments in Yushan!

Continuing up, we will see a large viewing platform. The stone railings here attract us because these railings are carved with patterns of 12 constellations, which is very interesting. The view here is wide, and you can see the vast fields and city scenery below.

Sheshan Observatory is not far from the top of the platform, just a few steps away. You can go in after buying the tickets. There are commemorative badges on sale at the door. The design is very beautiful. For a few yuan each, you can buy them and keep them as a souvenir!

The Astronomical Museum was established on the basis of the old Observatory. It is the Sheshan Observatory (now part of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) founded by Catholic French Jesuit missionaries in 1898. It was the earliest observatory in China and installed the largest astronomical telescope in Asia at that time purchased from France. It has a history of more than 100 years.

There is a simplified instrument created and improved by Guo Shoujing on the small square in front of the Observatory. There are four dragon dragons on the support. It is beautifully carved and lifelike. There are also international longitude joint measurement monuments, sundials, etc.

When we went there, there was a meteorite exhibition in the museum. There were dozens of pieces, large and small. One meteorite weighed 350 kilograms, and several meteorite slices were shining brightly under the light. They were very beautiful!

The planetarium also displays various astronomical telescopes and a large number of old photos used in history, as well as scientific relics such as astronomical clocks, nautical clocks, and calculation cylinders more than 100 years ago. The planetarium has a display area of more than 1400 square meters, including ancient astronomical instruments museum, science popularization museum, sundial museum, circular hall, reading room, projection hall, science popularization report hall, etc. Another important cultural relic in the museum is the Palan Meridian, which once participated in the international longitude joint survey. Next to it is a century-old library. It may not seem big, but it contains tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign astronomy books, periodicals and manuscripts, which is very precious.

The main building is in French architectural style, majestic and adjacent to the Catholic Church. We watched it once, and what impressed us most was the "treasure of the town hall"-the 40-centimeter binocular telescope that can only be climbed up to watch. It was really big and occupied a room. In that difficult environment more than 100 years ago, it was not an easy task to transport it all the way and install it for scientific research! The missionaries who have done this work are really admirable!

There are also many graphic and graphic materials in the exhibition hall, introducing in detail the deeds of scientists such as Xu Guangqi, Matteo Ricci, Cai Shangzhi (French missionary and first director of Sheshan Observatory), Gao Pingzi (the only modern Chinese astronomer named as a lunar crater by the International Astronomical Union), Li Heng (the first Chinese director of the Shanghai Observatory), and also showing the invention of astronomical telescopes, their introduction to China, and their settlement in Shanghai.

There is a screening room with a spherical roof next to it, which is playing astronomical blockbusters such as the journey through the stars and the formation of the universe. Being in it, I feel like stars and meteorites are flying head-on. It is very shocking and a very special experience. Many people sat on the ground and watched it several times in a row.

Later we climbed to the observation deck on the roof. The view here is very wide, with the white hemispherical roof of the observatory right in front of you, next to the red brick walls and Western-style spires of the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

The Shanghai Astronomical Museum is open to the public all year round. It also often organizes observation activities such as total solar and lunar eclipses, partial eclipses, return of comets, and meteor showers. It is a good place for everyone to understand astronomy science.

Walking out of the planetarium, not far away is the Cathedral of Our Lady. This is a very majestic cathedral built in 1871 by French missionaries. It was once a Catholic pilgrimage center in the Far East and is known as the "First Church in the Far East". It is also the main Catholic pilgrimage site in the country. The church is a European "Baroque" style building that integrates Greek, Roman and Gothic architectural art into one furnace. Some building materials and decoration adopt traditional Chinese architectural techniques. The Catholic Church and Sheshan are integrated into one, with red bricks and green mountains contrasting each other. The entire building plane has a Latin cross shape, reflecting the aesthetic beauty of right symmetry and asymmetry in architectural aesthetics. The interior of the church is extremely luxurious and resplendent. Even if you are not a believer, you can still enter and experience it.

The Shanghai Earthquake Science Museum is just on the way down the mountain. It is the first earthquake station in the mainland of China. Located in the Sheshan Seismic Reference Station, it is a venue that combines museums and platforms, and integrates science museums and museums. It retains the largest and oldest historical seismic instruments and historical geomagnetic and seismic data at home and abroad. It is divided into three parts: "Earthquake Science Popularization Hall","Arc Screen Film and Television Hall" and "Centenary Style Hall". When we arrived, there were very few people in the museum. We walked around and viewed various instruments and graphic materials. There is a glass curtain in the museum, and below it is a simulated earthquake scene. Walking on it is really shocking! Human scientific research on earthquakes is really necessary. I hope scientists can solve the problem of earthquake prediction as soon as possible to benefit mankind! We also watched two earthquake videos in the 180-degree projection large-arc film and television hall. Because of the large screen, we felt that the picture had a huge impact and was very shocking!

There is also the "Eight Trigrams Array" in the bamboo forest of the Earthquake Museum. It is the first array in mainland my country. It is the world's most cutting-edge high-tech earthquake observatory. It can accurately locate the location of earthquakes and improve earthquake early warning capabilities. There is also a 1200-kilogram German Wisher observatory, but it is the "ancestor". It has been in service in our country since 1909, and it is the only preserved antique real earthquake instrument. Its horizontal pendulum can still operate today. These are rare objects, so don't miss the opportunity to visit them.

The earthquake hall is also free. Open hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 - 16:00

We set out from the city at 7 a.m. and walked slowly. It was already past 3 p.m. when we left the earthquake museum.

Not far from the earthquake hall, there is a bus stop, making it convenient to return.

This day's itinerary is to look up at the stars, bow your head to watch the earth's motion, watch astronomy on the mountain, and watch geography on the mountain. It was a full day. You can bring something to eat, stroll slowly, walk in the mountains and forests, exercise and gain knowledge. It will be a great day!

P.S.: Most of Shanghai's attractions are in the city. Shanghai's public transportation system is very developed, so you can travel freely. The time is arranged, you can go wherever you want, and you can play as long as you want. There are not so many restrictions, which will be much more convenient and casual than following a group!

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