China's first interactive museum - Qingdao Behring Natural History Museum opens to the public on Oct 24. [Photo by Yu Hong/ qingdaonews.com]

The widely anticipated Qingdao Behring Natural History Museum opened its doors to the public on Oct 24 in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, where more than 400 examples of rare taxidermy are on display.

Located in the Children's Park in Shibei district, the museum covers an area of 7,200 square meters. It is built by the Shibei government, the US Global Health and Education Foundation and the Qingdao Institute of Sciences and Arts of CAS (China Academy of Sciences) at a cost of 164 million yuan ($24.69 million).

The Qingdao Behring Natural History Museum recreates the living environments of its animal taxidermies. [Photo by Yu Hong/ qingdaonews.com]

The museum has 32 exhibition areas based on more than 400 specimens all donated by world-famous American philanthropist Kenneth E Behring.

Proclaimed as the country's first interactive museum, it adopts technologies such as virtual reality, digital imaging, human-computer interaction and multi-displays to enhance its exhibitions.

Prides of lions playing in the tall grass of the African savanna are reproduced at the Qingdao Behring Natural History Museum. [Photo by Yu Hong/ qingdaonews.com]