Sichuan Province’s Zigong, located in southwest China, is home to the world’s third largest dinosaur fossil museum.

Built in 1987 atop of the Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil site, the Zigong Dinosaur Museum has an incredible collection of prehistoric finds from the mid-Jurassic period. Amongst these remains, over 100 fossilized dinosaurs and other vertebrate bones have been unearthed.

According to paleontological investigations, Zigong’s climate during the Jurassic period was humid and tropical. This contributed to a vibrant plant life, making it an ideal place for dinosaurs to live. 

The fossils unearthed at Zigong are rarely seen elsewhere around the world in strata of the same age. Consequently, prehistoric finds in Zigong are particularly valuable in terms of scientific research, providing critical materials for the study on the Meso-Jurassic p‍eriods. The museum is also of high value in terms of tourism, attracting over 200,000 visitors annually. 

Watch the video at the top of the page to join CGTN’s Louisa Lee as she takes you on a journey to explore the Zigong Dinosaur Museum, where the open excavation site and dinosaur exhibitions allow you to see the history of life dating back over 150 million years. 

(Video edited by: Lin Sitong, Su Lei, Zhang Biyun)