CHINA: Shanghai Science and Technology Museum showcases China's largest exhibition of dinosaur fossils

Thousands of people thronged the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum on Tuesday (July 10) to catch a glimpse of rare dinosaur fossils found in China's Sichuan province. The exhibition, which organisers say is the largest of its kind in the country, features 24 dinosaur fossils and four actual-size replicas, with the largest being as tall as a three-storey building. The fossils are mostly found in Zigong, the city of the southern Sichuan province, a prime spot for the discovery of dinosaur remains that dates back more than 100 million years. The dinosaur fossils, many of which have never been on display, are on a loan from the Zigong dinosaur museum and museum officials say they have been insured for more than 30 million yuan (US Dollars 4 million). The fossils range from small teeth fossils to life-size replicas, which organisers say are made of real dinosaur fossils. The remains are reengineered. Organisers say besides looking out for the towering 10.5 metre tall, plant-eating Omeisaurus jiaoi (pron: o-may-saurus jee-ah-oi), dinosaur buffs should also pay attention to the rare head fossil of the Yangchuanosaurus Hepingensis (pron: yang-chooann-no-saurus her-ping-gen-sis), considered a national treasure of China. "This fossil is from a meat eating dinosaur and thus the size of its head is very big. Of course, it is less well-known and smaller in size than the Tyrannosaurus. But in the world today, it should be the only one where the entire skull fossil is so well-preserved. It is very unique and it is one of our national treasures," said palaeontologist Wang Jiliang (pron: wang-jee-leeang) Many amongst the crowd came with their children as they took the chance to show them a piece of history during the school holiday period. "I should say I am in awe. For us humans, the dinosaur is a creature which lived many centuries before us. So for modern day humans, we are to be able to feel the environment in which these creatures lived during that period of time and also learn about how our earth evolved from then on," said 39-year-old Zhou Sunxiao (pron: djou-soon-seeao) "These dinosaurs, they are so tall, as tall as a two-storey building. I feel that if they were living in the world today, it would be so frightening," said Zhou's son, nine-year-old Yuan Shengxi (pron: yooann-sheng-see). Organisers said most of the dinosaur fossils found in Zigong are unique to China and some parts of Asia. China had first discovered dinosaur fossils in 1902 in the north-eastern Heilongjiang province. It later set up the dinosaur excavation site in southern Zigong City, considered the third largest in the world after the Canada and the United States. The dinosaur fossil exhibition is free of charge and runs from July 10 to August 31. It forms part of the "Lost Dinosaur Kingdom" theme display at the museum which also features an IMAX screening of a dinosaur documentary.

ITN Source | July 13, 2007

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