Dalian Shell Museum

Dalian Shell Museum

The Dalian Shell Museum serves as a science education base.

The new building of the Dalian Shell Museum is the largest shell museum in the world, housing over 50,000 specimens of more than 8,000 types of mollusks, as well as more than 3,000 pieces of Paleozoic ammonite fossils. The museum was designed by the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University, and hired world-renowned mollusk expert and director of the Mollusk Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan, Mr. Sokenu Sadano, as the advisory consultant for the shell museum.

Museum Overview

The museum has a total investment of 80 million RMB and displays over 5,000 types of rare and exotic shells from around the world—the largest number of exhibits of any shell museum globally. Among these 5,000+ types, some were personally collected or purchased from individuals in over 30 countries across the four oceans, including New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, Morocco, Malaysia, Fiji, and the Philippines. Others were donated or exchanged by malacologists, malacological societies, and shell collectors from Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. Shells range from those weighing up to a hundred kilograms, such as the so-called “cannibal shell” giant clam, to tiny sand grains barely visible without a magnifying glass. The new museum is located at the southeast corner of Xinghai Square in Dalian, integrating shell research, collection, exhibition, science education, and cultural tourism. It covers a construction area of approximately 18,000 square meters and opened in 2009.

Development History

Most of the exhibits in the museum come from the 30-year personal collection of renowned shell collector Mr. Zhang Yi. Over 30 years of relentless effort, while collecting various rare shells, Mr. Zhang also compiled the World Color Guide to Shells, making significant contributions to filling the gap in China’s shell culture research and promoting shell-related culture.

Mr. Zhang Yi was born in April 1948 in Xiangying Township, Jinzhou District, Liaoning Province, and passed away in December 2011.

During his lifetime, Mr. Zhang Yi served as Chairman, General Manager, and Party Committee Secretary of Liaoning Dalian Ocean Fishing Group Corporation (LiaoYu Group). He led the LiaoYu Group for 28 years, during which he pioneered China’s offshore fishing industry, filling a major national gap. He was repeatedly honored as a Dalian Model Worker, Dalian Special-Class Model Worker, Liaoning Provincial Model Worker, Liaoning Provincial Special-Class Model Worker, Liaoning Provincial Meritorious Entrepreneur, and National Outstanding Entrepreneur. He was awarded the title of National Model Worker twice. He served as a deputy to the 7th, 8th, and 9th Liaoning Provincial People's Congresses and was elected as a deputy to the 10th National People's Congress in March 2003. Mr. Zhang was also a standing committee member of the 10th Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and was among the first group of experts to receive the State Council Special Allowance. In July 2008, he was awarded the China Maritime Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first person in China’s fishing industry to receive this honor.

Mr. Zhang Yi personally authored the literary work Men and the Sea, which depicts the life of state-owned enterprise executives. The book was published by the Writers Publishing House in 2007.

Throughout his life, Mr. Zhang Yi was passionate about shell collecting and research. While collecting and studying shell specimens, he not only connected with many domestic and international malacologists but also forged deep friendships with a large number of amateur shell collectors. His exquisite collection includes over ten thousand types of valuable shell specimens. Both the quantity and diversity of the specimens, as well as their exceptional quality, rank among the best in China and have earned him a reputation in the international shell collecting community.

With the support of the Dalian Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, the Dalian Shell Museum officially opened to the public on July 17, 2003, making Mr. Zhang Yi’s extensive shell collection accessible to society and receiving widespread acclaim. However, due to limited exhibition space at the old site, a large number of specimens, especially the most distinctive ammonite fossils, could not be displayed to visitors. In 2006, the Dalian Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government decided to relocate and expand the Dalian Shell Museum. The newly built Dalian Shell Museum has a construction area of approximately 16,000 square meters, with an exhibition area of nearly 9,000 square meters. Most of Mr. Zhang Yi’s collections are now available for public viewing and display.

Exhibition Halls Introduction

The architectural style, exhibition content, and functional facilities of the Dalian Shell Museum reflect the urban character and taste of Dalian, and are also part of the city’s image and marine culture. The exhibition areas mainly include a spiral ramp-style exhibition hall above ground and an exhibition area on the underground first floor. The museum’s exhibition halls are divided into: Molluscan Biology Exhibition Hall, Paleozoic Primitive Shell Fossil Specimen Exhibition Hall, Paleozoic Ammonite Fossil Specimen Exhibition Hall, Global Marine Shell Taxonomic Exhibition Hall, Global Terrestrial Shell Taxonomic Exhibition Hall, Chinese Freshwater Shell Taxonomic Exhibition Hall, Shells and Human Relationship Exhibition Hall, and a screening room.