Yusu Fossil Museum

Yusu Fossil Museum

The Yusu Fossil Museum is located on Yingchun South Road in the county town and was established in July 1983. Yusu is internationally renowned as the “Hometown of Fossils,” home to a vast number of ancient vertebrate fossils. It is particularly famous for its abundant Neogene mammal fossils, which are the most numerous, diverse, and have the longest continuous stratigraphic record in the world, earning it the reputation of a “Treasure Trove of Mammal Fossils.” It has become an important site for research on the Cenozoic geographical environment, climate change, and biological evolution. On March 18, 1961, it was designated by the State Council as a “Key Protected Area for Ancient Vertebrate Fossils.”

In 2006, the county party committee and government renovated and expanded the museum. The newly built museum covers an area of 4,100 square meters, with a building area of 1,760 square meters, an exhibition area of 1,280 square meters, and a storage area of 300 square meters. The museum houses over 1,000 fossil specimens, serving as physical evidence for studying the paleogeography, paleoclimate, and biological evolution of the Yusu Basin from 7 million to 1 million years ago. These fossils hold high scientific research and viewing value. The museum features a permanent exhibition titled “Exhibition of Ancient Vertebrate Fossils.” In addition, the museum also holds a large number of precious cultural relics unearthed in recent archaeological excavations, especially Buddhist statues from around the Tang Dynasty, which are particularly notable.

The museum is divided into various departments including the Office, Finance Department, Security Department, and Public Relations Department. In 2005, it was designated as a Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the Shanxi Provincial Committee and Government.

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China