In the 18th century, the zoo was known as the Sanbeizi Gardens that belonged to one of the princes of the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty. In 1906, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the park area used to be an agricultural experimental farm and a zoo. Known as the Garden of Ten Thousand Animals (Wanshengyuan), it opened to the public in 1908. All of those animals are dead now and stuffed and on display in a museum inside the zoo.

At present, the zoo has become the home for over 7,000 creatures of 600 different species from all over the nation. Of course it also includes the giant panda, red-crowned crane and Pere David's deer that are all unique to China.