 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Geological Museum of China" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
中国地质博物馆 | |
 The front of the building. | |
 | |
Former name | Geological and Mineral Museum |
|---|---|
| Established | October 1, 1959 |
| Location | Beijing, China |
| Coordinates | 39°55′19″N116°21′55″E / 39.92194°N 116.36528°E /39.92194; 116.36528 |
| Type | Geology Museum |
| Director | Jia Yueming |
| Public transit access | |
| Website | http://www.gmc.org.cn/ |
TheGeological Museum of China (Chinese:中国地质博物馆), built in 1916, is ageologicalmuseum, boasting 200 thousand specimens.[1]
This museum is located in theXisi area ofBeijing and opened on October 1, 1959. It is the earliest geological scientific museum of China.
At present, the Geological Museum of China has more than 100,000 geological specimens. Many of them are precious items reputed as "National Treasures", such as "the Giant Shandong Dinosaur"(Shantungosaurus)fossil, the most complete dinosaur fossils extant in the world excavated from Liaoning; the fossils of primitive birds that were found in the west ofLiaoning Province, which has the essential values to the research on birds of the area; the teeth fossils of Yunnan Yuanmou Man, which shifts the appearance of human beings in China to a much more earlier time; the stoneware, stone pearls, bone needles and bone decoration unearthed from the site of the Upper Cave man atZhoukoudian in Beijing; a cinnabar crystal of 237 grams that is called as "King of Cinnabar"; and more than 60 newmineral products that were found in China, and so on.[2]
Basic displays of the museum are composed of five exhibition halls, namely, the exhibition halls of geological resource, global history, stratum paleontology, mineral rocks and diamond, with an exhibition area of 2,500 square meters. The hall of geological resource introduces in different catalogues and classifications the abundant mineral products and other geological resources in China; the hall of global history introduces earth formation and construction, earth inner motive power geological action, earth outer power geological action and earth washing action; in the stratum paleontology hall, there are the special exhibitions of Zhendan biome, insect fossils, fish fossils, egg fossils, and the Upper Cave Man—ancient creatures and their characteristics of different geological eras.[3]
On the third floor of the museum, aLufengosaurus skeleton is mounted next to a display case holding a fossil ofShantungosaurus. The paleontology hall itself is labeled with an image of atrilobite. The first third of the gallery showcases many fossils from theCambrian explosion andfossilized plants. As the hall turns, aCymbospondylus fossil is mounted on the wall. A small circular gallery is covered on the walls by a mural, and the glass floor contains many dinosaur bones. As the hall turns back, a partial dinosaur skeleton labeled "Anchisaurus sinensis" is displayed on the wall. The next section of the gallery puts on display a scenario fromCretaceousMongolia, mounting severalVelociraptor specimens harassing a nestingOviraptor. ATyrannosaurus rex skull cast is mounted on the wall. In many display cases encircling this section, specimens and casts of beautifully preserved dinosaur and bird specimens from Liaoning are displayed. In another display case, a bone and teeth of atyrannosaurid labeled "Tyrannosaurus zhuchengensis" are set. Multiple dinosaur eggs are also displayed, including a pair ofMacroelongatoolithus eggs. At the end of the hall, several artifacts from thePeking Man and Upper Cave Man site in Zhoukoudian are exhibited.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)