The Shanghai Insect Museum is affiliated with the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its predecessor was the Insect Department of the Musee Heude, which was established by French priest P. Heude in 1868. The museum was built in Xujiahui in 1883 and later, due to the vast number of specimens, a new Musee Heude was constructed on Luban Road (now Chongqing South Road) in 1930. It was known as ‘the British Museum of Asia’ for its collection of Chinese fauna and flora specimens.
The Shanghai Insect Museum has successively presided over dozens of National Natural Science Foundation projects and conducted systematic taxonomic research on five major groups of insects, including proturans, locusts, termites, scale insects, tabanids, and flies. It has proposed many unique insights into the insect classification system and participated in various scientific expeditions across the country, winning awards. The museum houses the Helena Flash Butterfly, known as one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. This species is native to Brazil and Peru, with a small population and is extremely precious. They are not only elegant in posture, with wings that spread like a peacock’s fan, but their wings also shimmer and change color, ranging from deep blue to bright blue to light blue. The white veins on the wings resemble inlaid jewels, shining brightly and enchantingly. Each specimen is valued at 360,000 yuan, and there are only three in China. The museum is open all year round from 09:00 to 16:30.
