Shandong Tianyu Natural Museum

Shandong Tianyu Natural Museum

Shandong Tianyu Natural Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a popular science education base.

The world’s largest dinosaur museum — Shandong Tianyu Natural Museum is a large-scale popular science and natural museum that opened in 2004. The museum boasts an exhibition area of 28,000 square meters, 28 exhibition halls, one scientific research facility, one 4D dynamic cinema, with a total investment of over 400 million yuan.

The Tianyu Natural Museum has drawn attention from both domestic and international audiences for its rich collections. With over 1,100 dinosaur fossils and more than 2,200 ancient bird fossils, it houses the largest number of well-preserved dinosaur and bird fossils in the world, earning recognition from the Guinness World Records headquarters in July 2010 as the “World’s Largest Dinosaur Museum.” To date, the museum has successfully established six Guinness World Records, and over twenty scientific research findings have been published in world-renowned scientific journals such as Nature and Science. It has been designated as a “National AAAA-Level Tourist Attraction,” “National Popular Science Education Base,” “China Paleontological Popular Science Education Base,” and “National Land Resources Popular Science Education Base.”

In the mineral exhibition hall of Tianyu, a variety of rare and pristine mineral and gemstone specimens, embodying the essence of nature, sparkle brilliantly. In the fossil world of Tianyu, thousands of prehistoric animals, led by dinosaurs, are preserved in rock, showcasing a vibrant spectrum of life’s history. Here, you can witness the great spectacle of dinosaur extinction and the origin of birds from 100 million years ago; see herds of deer and rhinos roaming vast grasslands from millions of years ago; and admire tens of thousands of fish frozen in layered stone slabs, seemingly still swimming and playing... From insect eggs invisible to the naked eye, to a single feather, to the veins of a leaf — we can find traces of life in that mysterious fossil world.

The Tianyu collection is not only a “vast book” depicting the natural life but also a “magic tome” of humanity’s exploration into the origins of life and the future of the universe. It provides researchers with the best scientific platform, and offers seekers of knowledge and all those who love nature and cherish life the key to unlocking natural civilization and the gateway to scaling the heights of natural science.

Museum address: West Section of Lianhua Mountain Road, Pingyi County

Phone: 0539-4291666

Website: www.tynhm.com

Email: ty4291666@163.com

Business hours: 8:00–17:30

Suggested visiting time: about 2 hours

Ticket price: 80 RMB per person

Price description: Group ticket: 60 RMB per person; Senior ticket: 50 RMB per person; Student ticket: 50 RMB per person.

Featured exhibits: Stalactite Hall, Hall of Ten Thousand Fish, Dinosaur Hall, and various fossil specimens.

Recommended visiting route 1: Comprehensive Exhibition Hall – Mineral Hall – Sea Lily Hall – Dinosaur Hall – Hall of Ten Thousand Fish – Gem Hall – Stalactite Hall

Recommended visiting route 2: Second-floor Lobby — Comprehensive Hall — Mineral Crystal Hall — Hundred Dragons Hall — Sea Lily Hall — Thousand Dragons Hall — Hall of Ten Thousand Fish — Hundred Deer Hall — Hezheng Hall — Mineral Crystal Hall — Second-floor Overpass — Gem Hall — Stalactite Hall — Crystal Silicified Wood Hall — Yimeng Hall — Souvenir Shop

Guide service price: The site offers guides at 100 RMB per group. There are also electronic tour guides available.

Supporting facilities:

Tianyu Natural Museum parking lot, souvenir shop, 4D dynamic cinema

Public transportation:

Buses from Pingyi County’s urban-rural transit system can reach the site.

Driving directions:

Take the Rizhao-Dongying Expressway and exit at Pingyi, then drive 4 km to reach the site.

Jinan: From Jinan to Tai’an, transfer to the Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway to Qufu, then transfer to the Rizhao-Dongying Expressway and exit at Pingyi, total distance 258 km, approximately 2.5 hours.

Xuzhou: Take the Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway to the Rizhao-Dongying Expressway, then exit at Pingyi, total distance 238 km, approximately 2.3 hours.

Qingdao: Take the Tong San Expressway to the Rizhao-Dongying Expressway, then exit at Pingyi, total distance 398 km, approximately 4 hours.

Jining: Take the Rizhao-Dongying Expressway to exit at Pingyi, total distance 118 km, approximately 1.3 hours.

Rizhao: Take the Rizhao–Dongying Expressway and exit at Pingyi, a total distance of 220 km, approximately 2.3 hours.

Zaozhuang: From the city area to Pingyi County, a total distance of 180 km, approximately 2 hours.

Parking Information:

There are parking lots both at the entrance and within the courtyard.

Extended Reading:

· China National Second-Class Museum