Yunshi Bowuguan (Meteorite Museum)

Description:

• On March 8, 1976, one of the largest meteorite showers in recorded history fell on a 500-sq.-km (195-sq.-mile) area around Jilin, pelting the city with 4,000 kilograms (4.4 tons) of rock and giving it a reason to open this museum. The facility has recently been renovated but has very few English captions. The main reason to come here is the world's largest stony meteorite (1,774kg/3,921 lb.), which hovers dressed in a blue velvet skirt in the middle of the hall. Records show that the meteorite's impact registered 1.7 on the Richter scale. Visitors are allowed to touch a smaller meteorite in the adjacent room.

• © Frommer's 2012