Dubbed the "hometown to the Dinosaur", the city of Zigong in Sichuan Province is renowned for its dinosaur museum that is among the three largest such facilities around the world.
Most of the unearthed dinosaur fossils in Zigong date back to the Jurassic period, about 135 million to 210 million years ago, providing the entire world with a rare collection containing abundant sources for research of the dinosaurian evolution.
Geological studies show Zigong in that period was a broad lake-strewn region with lush trees and water plants, forming an ideal habitat for dinosaurs. The Dashanpu area where the fossils were unearthed was a peaceful sandy shoal long ago, covering the dinosaur corpses deposited there by the flowing river. Over one million years later, the sandstone still evident today was formed entombing the fossils.
Covering an area of 25,000 square meters, the Zigong Dinosaur Museum has an exhibition area of 3,600 square meters on three floors, mainly showcasing dinosaur fossils unearthed in the Dashapu area. The exhibition is segmented into three themed parts: basic knowledge about dinosaur, dinosaur fossils unearthed at the Dashapu area and the reserved excavation spots.
