Chishui Alsophila Museum

Chishui Alsophila Museum

The Chishui Alsophila Museum serves as a science education base.

China’s Chishui Alsophila Museum is the country’s only natural ecological museum themed around the critically endangered plant — Alsophila. Covering an area of 8,000 square meters.

As you enter the main exhibition hall, the magnificent naturalistic scenery of the Mesozoic era creates the illusion of traveling back in time. On the southern edge of the Sichuan Basin, elegant peaks rise, with waterfalls and springs streaming down. The red earth, danxia rocks, towering ginkgo and metasequoia trees, umbrella-like Alsophila plants, and dinosaurs of all sizes and peculiar shapes dominate the land, water, and sky. Amidst the serene sounds of nature — the wind, flowing water, birdsong, and orchestral background music — the roars or calls of dinosaurs occasionally echo. As you move forward, the once-flourishing dinosaur scenes gradually fade away, while the resilient Alsophila continues to thrive to this day.

Step into the colorful world of insects. Against a deep blue sky dotted with colorful clouds — upon closer look, they are flocks of migrating butterflies — butterfly photos shimmer under multicolored spotlights, creating a dreamlike scene. The exhibition hall features transparent glass display cabinets of various levels and designs, artistically showcasing hundreds of diverse invertebrate species according to major classification systems. Around the walls, bright light boxes display special images and text about rare invertebrates, along with descriptions of their natural habitats and supporting visuals.

Just as you are immersed in the dreamlike realms of the Alsophila Kingdom, Jurassic Park, the Primitive Botanical Hall, the Amphibian and Reptile World, and the Exotic Wildlife Realm, a striking warning brings you back to reality: excessive human exploitation of natural resources and environmental pollution have caused immense harm to the Earth, our only home, which in turn threatens humanity itself. A series of typical and uniquely representative images and photos provoke deep thought and serve as solemn warnings.

Cultural Relics Collection

The museum is equipped with an information management system, environmental education warnings, Mesozoic dinosaur replica specimens, and wildlife specimens, displaying over 3,000 exhibits. Through themes such as the Magical Chishui, the Flourishing Mesozoic Era, the Alsophila Kingdom, Jurassic Park, the Primitive Botanical Hall, Exotic Wildlife, Amphibians and Reptiles, the Insect Wonderland, Historical Responsibility, and Getting Close to Chishui, the museum showcases the wonders of nature. It allows you to discover the ancient mystery of Alsophila, appreciate the majestic, perilous, beautiful, and serene environment where it thrives today, explore the rich diversity of companion plants, and experience the precious and marvelous world of wildlife. It further emphasizes the importance of cherishing and protecting the natural ecological environment, advocates for greater awareness in plant conservation, and serves as an excellent educational platform for the public.

In the spacious hall, a Danxia stone base supports a digital sand table model of Chishui City’s topography in Guizhou Province. Behind it lies a lush forest of Alsophila. Gazing through the Alsophila grove, you’re greeted by a vibrant natural ecological scene of danxia rocks, flowing springs, waterfalls, and emerald forests, drawing you into the protected area to explore its wonders. Walk to the left side of the hall to the Preface Room, where a large rear-projection TV screen in front of the glass wall plays a roughly two-minute video introducing the museum’s background, theme, and main content.