Changchun Geological Palace Museum

Changchun Geological Palace Museum

The Changchun Geological Palace Museum is a cultural relics protection unit of Jilin Province.

The Changchun Geological Palace Museum (also known as the Jilin University Museum), established in 1952, has an exhibition area of 1,500 square meters. It is renowned both in China and abroad for its rich collections, outstanding exhibits, and distinctive features, making it one of the most famous geological museums in China and Asia. Since its founding, it has welcomed hundreds of thousands of domestic and international visitors, and leaders such as - , - , - , and Li Fuchun from the older generation of the Party and the country have visited the museum for inspection.

The museum is divided into a Science Popularization Hall and a Dinosaur Hall. The Science Popularization Hall includes sections for rare stones, precious gems and jade, paleontology, and earth science education. The Dinosaur Hall displays three giant dinosaur skeleton fossils as well as valuable dinosaur eggs and fossilized dinosaur footprints.

To fully leverage the social educational role of a university museum, Jilin University Museum opened to the public in 1998, earning widespread acclaim from all sectors of society. In 1999, the museum was designated as a “National Science Popularization Education Base” by the China Association for Science and Technology; in the same year, it was named a “National Youth Science and Technology Education Base” by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, and the China Association for Science and Technology. In 2002, the museum was jointly awarded the title of “National Advanced Collective in Science Popularization Work” by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the China Association for Science and Technology.

Over the past several decades, the museum has adhered to a balanced approach focusing on “scientific research, teaching, and science popularization.” In addition to carrying out the collection, research, and display of specimens, it has also undertaken a significant amount of scientific research and international exchange work. Currently, the museum has established extensive connections with over ten overseas museums and more than a hundred domestic museums and university museums. It has conducted broad exchanges in museum construction, academic research, science popularization, and specimen exchanges, fostering multi-faceted cooperative relationships. In recent years, the museum has collaborated with Providence College in the United States on research into the evolution of early Cretaceous mammals in Northeast Asia; with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences on research into the dinosaur fauna of Northeast China; and with the Fukui Dinosaur Museum in Japan on comparative studies of dinosaurs between China and Japan.

After half a century of development, the museum’s overall strength has ranked among the top university museums in China and museums in Jilin Province. Its reputation continues to grow, and it plays an increasingly important role in geological research and science education. With its opening to the public, the Jilin University Museum has become an excellent destination for cultural tourism and science education in Changchun, and is hailed as a shining jewel of the Spring City.