Zigong City Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Zigong Dinosaur Museum is located in Dashanpu Town, northeast of Zigong City, Sichuan Province. It was established and opened in 1987, covering an area of more than 66,000 square meters. The museum's fossil collection encompasses all known dinosaur species from the Jurassic period 201 to 145 million years ago, and is a 'National First-Class Museum'. It is the core area of the 'Zigong World Geopark' recognized by UNESCO, a scenic spot within the Zigong Dinosaur Tourism and Holiday Area, and a National AAAA-level tourist attraction. It is also designated as a 'National Class A Paleontological Fossil Collection Unit'. The Zigong Dinosaur Museum is a large on-site museum built on the 'Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil Group Site (a national key protected paleontological fossil concentration area)'. It is a medium to large on-site museum and the first specialized dinosaur museum in China, one of the three major dinosaur site museums in the world, and one of the three major museums in Zigong City. The Zigong Dinosaur Museum is one of the places in the world with the most extensive collection and display of Jurassic dinosaur fossils. The Jurassic paleontological fossil resources in the Zigong Dinosaur Museum are rich, with numerous fossil traces. It is particularly known for its abundant dinosaur fossils, diverse species, concentrated burial, and well-preserved characteristics, making it the 'Hometown of Dinosaurs' of the Jurassic world. The variety of fossils is extremely rich. From fish, amphibians, reptiles to proto-mammals and mammals, it is a complete vertebrate group composed of at least 5 classes, 11 orders, 16 families, and more than 40 genera and species, almost covering all terrestrial vertebrate classes of the Jurassic period, with systematic and complete biological evolution. The architecture of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum consists of several stone masonry buildings of varying sizes, shapes, and functions, scattered among a subtropical plant community like large sandstone bodies. One of the hollow oval stone masonry structures sits in the middle of a green circular lawn, resembling a large dinosaur head or a giant dinosaur egg from afar, and is a large stone sculpture: 'Prehistoric Soul'. The main building of the museum is rough and simple, concise and robust, with a majestic presence and a grotto-like shape. From a distance, it looks like a pile of yellow boulders, complementing the surrounding Mesozoic residual plants, giving an impression of the ancient wilderness.