Beijing's Water Supply Museum

Museum of Tap Water in Chinese; Water Supply Museum in English; Waterworks museum on the ticket. Take your pick!

Reverse psychology is a wonderful thing. It's a well known fact that if you want a child not to do something, the very last thing you should say is "don't do it".

An American called Catherine Price has written a book entitled "101 Places Not To Visit Before You Die". In it you can read about such must-avoid places as The Seattle ‘Gum Wall', the Montana ‘Testicle Festival' and Beijing's ‘Museum of Tap Water'. The sales pitch appears to be that Price has taken it upon herself to go to truly awful tourist destinations ... so you don't have to.

The grounds of the museum feature a number of buildings in a parkland setting, all overlooked by high-rise apartment blocks.

The book tells you that in 2001 it was decided that 150 new museums should be opened in Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics. ‘Hence a museum devoted to the fascinating history of ... tap water, in addition to museums devoted to honeybees, red sandalwood, and goldfish. The irony of the whole museum,' Price adds smugly, ‘is that Beijing's water is not safe to drink from the tap.'

I had to go there. I guess I'm just a big kid at heart. But once I had arrived I had to wonder if Ms Price had ever visited the establishment herself, or had simply read up little fragments on the internet and written her scathing comments accordingly.