Updated for September 2026
The Best Aquariums in People's Republic of China
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every aquarium in People's Republic of China that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Keeper talk or showOvernight stay
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
Aquarium
Advanced Aquarium Technologies drew up the design. A tunnel of 168 metres, among the longest anywhere, runs past a shark cove, a kelp cave, coral and coastal reefs and a stretch of open ocean. Exhibits are organised geographically, with zones for China, South America and Africa.
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Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park
Aquarium in Shanghai
The park combines rides, animal displays, shows and an on-site hotel, and is the operator's second theme park in the country. One half is tundra-themed around a snow-capped mountain, the other tropical around a volcano.
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Qingdao Aquarium
Aquarium in Qingdao
It grew out of a push in 1930 by the educator Cai Yuanpei and first admitted the public on 8 May 1932. As of 2013 it had four halls joined by tunnels and close to 10,000 m2 of display area.
More in People's Republic of China
View all People's Republic of China listingsOur ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 3 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.