Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum

Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum

The Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum serves as a base for science education.

The Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum is located on Jiayin Longgu Mountain between the estuary of Taipinggou River and No. 2 Liangzi on the southern bank of the middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River, which forms the border between China and Russia. The terrain here is of a plateau type. Facing Russia across the river, the mountain features gentle slopes and stands along the riverside. The museum covers a total area of 4,650? and is a large-scale comprehensive museum that integrates science education, entertainment, sightseeing, and leisure, closely combining natural science with cultural landscapes.

Jiayin was one of the earliest sites in China where dinosaur fossils were discovered and scientifically recorded. It also gained international fame due to the discovery of a large number of paleontological fossils. In 1902, Russians assembled a complete dinosaur fossil skeleton, standing 4.5 meters tall and 8 meters long, excavated here. Named "Mandschurosaurus amurensis" (Heilongjiang Manshury Dragon), it is currently displayed in the Geological Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia. This dinosaur fossil skeleton is known as the "First Dragon of Shen Zhou."

The dinosaur fossils unearthed from Jiayin Longgu Mountain belong to the subfamily of flat-headed hadrosaurines, representing typical large hadrosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period. At the same time, they are remnants from the period when dinosaurs were nearing extinction, making them highly significant for researching the mystery of dinosaur extinction. The discovery of accompanying fossils of fish, turtles, crocodiles, and other animals provides strong evidence of the living environment of dinosaurs at that time.

In 1981, Jiayin Longgu Mountain was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit by the provincial government for key preservation. In April 1998, it was again established as a provincial-level nature reserve by the provincial government. Meanwhile, the "Jiayin Dinosaur Fossil Provincial Nature Reserve Management Measures" were enacted and implemented. In December 2001, the Ministry of Land and Resources approved the establishment of a national geopark. In September 2002, the Jiayin Dinosaur National Geopark Administration was established under the county government. In 2004, the Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum was constructed and officially opened to the public on June 6, 2005. The Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum is the fifth dinosaur museum in China after those in Zigong (Sichuan), Lufeng (Yunnan), Changzhou (Jiangsu), and Erenhot (Inner Mongolia), and is also the only museum in China that combines a protected area with an exhibition hall within the same park.

The Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum is highly favored by scholars both in China and abroad for its extensive collection, high proportion of rare exhibits, exquisite displays, and abundant research achievements. The museum’s structure is a geometric combination of an acute triangular shape and a domed form, with an inclined plane and an acute angle pointing directly toward the sky. One side is parallel and vertical to the ground, extending deep into the strata. This design concept symbolizes how the mysterious dinosaur culture was nurtured between heaven and earth, emerging from the ancient past, shaking off layers of dust, and showcasing its once glorious yet almost instantaneous decline to modern civilization, offering humans infinite inspiration and imagination. The unique modern geometric architecture contrasts sharply with this ancient and vast land — the birthplace of the "First Dragon of Shen Zhou." The collision between the old and new sparks a brilliant exchange of wisdom, inspiring people to explore the unknown.

On the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the "First Dragon of Shen Zhou" in 2002, paleontologists and geologists from seven countries — China, the United States, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Russia — held the "International Academic Symposium on the K/T Boundary of the Heilongjiang River Basin" and conducted field scientific investigations in our county. A large-scale dinosaur fossil group was also discovered in Wulaga Town of our county, including skeletal fossils of hadrosaurs, tyrannosaurs, coelurosaurs, and ankylosaurs. For the first time in Heilongjiang Province, ...

...fossilized dinosaur skin and footprint imprints were discovered. Heilongjiang Television provided a three-hour live broadcast of the event.

Currently, the fossils excavated from Jiayin Dinosaur Mountain have been assembled into 13 dinosaur skeletons, displayed respectively in the Geological Museum of Saint Petersburg (Russia), the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum, the Provincial Geological Museum, the China University of Geosciences Museum in Wuhan, the Jilin University Museum, the Yichun Xiaoxing’anling Dinosaur Museum, and the Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum. Among them, a dinosaur skeleton housed in the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum, measuring 11.24 meters in length and 6.48 meters in height, has been exhibited multiple times in China and abroad, generating tremendous buzz and significantly boosting the international fame of Jiayin dinosaur fossils. However, this skeleton was unfortunately destroyed in a fire during an exhibition in Jilin City on November 15, 1994. According to expert estimates, there are hundreds of dinosaur fossils buried here, forming a large dinosaur burial site. Studies show that most of the fossils excavated here belong to the hadrosaurine subfamily, a new genus within the dinosaur family, dating back to the mid-to-late Cretaceous period. They were among the last dinosaurs to live on Earth 65 million years ago and have only been discovered so far in China’s Heilongjiang River Basin.

The museum is divided into eight major exhibition halls: Earth Hall, Comprehensive Hall, Circular Hall, Dynamic Hall, Entertainment Hall, Plant Hall, Rock Hall, Humanities Hall, and Film Hall. Eight dinosaur skeletons are exhibited in the halls, along with various dinosaur bone fossils unearthed from the park, such as tooth fossils, dinosaur footprints, skin imprint fossils, and plant and animal fossils from the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary periods in the Jiayin region.

Earth Hall displays: ginkgo leaves, lake-bottom organisms, volcanic rocks, and other exhibits. With its semi-circular wall design, azure blue decor, and six Earth models, it introduces the six continental drift processes.

The Jiayin hadrosaur is displayed in the main exhibition area — the Circular Hall, forming the twelfth and thirteenth dinosaur fossil skeletons assembled since the excavation of dinosaur fossils in Jiayin. Known as the "Two Dragons," this hall mainly uses physical objects, three-dimensional diagrams with text explanations to showcase the Jiayin landform features and the excavation and study surrounding the "First Dragon of Shen Zhou."

Dinosaur Evolution is set up in the Comprehensive Hall, divided into three parts according to geological eras: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.

Triassic – Psittacosaurus. The real bone content of Psittacosaurus exceeds 70%. These dinosaurs often lived on highlands near rivers and lakes, moved in herds, and fed on plants. They are a unique small dinosaur species from the early Cretaceous in East Asia. Fossils of Psittacosaurus have been found in Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Xinjiang, Liaoning, and Hebei in China, as well as in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and Siberia in Russia.

Jurassic – Protoceratops, approximately 2–3 meters long and 1 meter tall, lived in the late Cretaceous period in Mongolia, feeding on coarse leaves and other plants.

Dromaeosaurus, part of the theropod dromaeosaurid group, is about 2 meters long and a carnivorous dinosaur. Due to its slender bones, it moved very swiftly, often hunting and playing through continuous movement and jumping. Dromaeosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous period, mainly distributed in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia in China.

Cretaceous – Ankylosaurus, commonly known as the "Tank Dragon," because their heads and bodies were enclosed in an armored box.

Part of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton fossil was excavated from Jiayin Longgu Mountain, making it one of the dinosaur species found in Jiayin. This indicates that the Tyrannosaurus rex, like the hadrosaur, ankylosaur, and dromaeosaurus, was among the last dinosaurs to live on Earth 65 million years ago. The late Cretaceous was the golden age of Tyrannosaurus rex, which lived all over the world, with the most fossils found in North America and Mongolia.

The Ancient Plants Hall displays ancient plant fossils excavated in the Jiayin region. These ancient plants provide valuable evidence for studying China’s ancient climate, geography, and environment.

The Mineral and Rock Hall showcases various types of minerals and rocks from Jiayin, including gold, lignite, medical stone, agate, and more than a hundred exhibits.

The Dynamic Hall combines sound, light, electricity, and scenery to recreate scenes of ancient dinosaur life. Based on the actual environment of the dinosaur era, it features four dynamic dinosaur models and two holographic projection machines. The entire hall is centrally enclosed with a surrounding circular pathway, creating an immersive experience that makes visitors feel as if they are in the ancient world.

Humanities Hall: Uses text, images, and models to explain Jiayin’s historical evolution, local customs, urban features, and natural resources.

The Entertainment Hall allows visitors to participate in various dinosaur-related games, access information throughout the museum, and search for detailed information about dinosaurs.

The Film Hall offers visitors a rich selection of dinosaur-themed films and information about the Shen Zhou Dinosaur Museum.

The Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum has a professional fossil identification department, restoration personnel, and technical experts. Fire prevention, theft prevention, and other safety facilities are fully equipped.

The China Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum has been awarded titles such as National AAA-level Tourist Scenic Spot, Top 100 County-Level Tourism Brand in China, Heilongjiang Provincial Environmental Education Base, Heilongjiang Provincial Science Education Base, and Heilongjiang Provincial Children's Experiential Education Camp.

Transportation Guide

Scenic Area Address: 11 kilometers west of Jiayin County, Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province

Transportation: Take a bus from Yichun to Jiayin, then transfer to a minibus or taxi to reach the site.

Further Reading:

· China National Third-Class Museum