Zigong Dinosaur Museum

The Zigong Dinosaur Museum (simplified Chinese: 自贡恐龙博物馆; traditional Chinese: 自貢恐龍博物館; pinyin: Zìgòng Kǒnglóng Bówùguǎn) is located near the city of Zigong, Sichuan, China, in the township of Dashanpu. The museum sits on top of a large concentration of a diverse dinosaur assemblage from the Shaximiao Formation. The museum claims the largest number of dinosaur fossils in the world and covers 25,000 square meters with a display area of 3,600 square meters. It attracts up to seven million visitors a year.[1]

Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Established	1987
Location	Zigong, Sichuan
Type	Natural History Museum

Main entrance

Yangchuanosaurus at the Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Dinosaurs at the Zigong Dinosaur Museum

One of the excavation pits of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Mamenchisaurus youngi, Zigong Dinosaur Museum

In 1980s, vast quantities of dinosaur fossils were excavated in the Middle Jurassic Shaximiao Formation, 7 km north-east from downtown Zigong, including a dinosaur named after the township, Dashanpusaurus. Because of the unique and articulated (intact) bone remains, Zigong is important to paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts. The Zigong Dinosaur Museum was established in 1987, becoming the first museum based almost entirely on dinosaurs in Asia. Mounted specimens include Omeisaurus, Gigantspinosaurus, Yangchuanosaurus, Huayangosaurus and Xiaosaurus.