The Zigong Dinosaur Museum is located in Dashanpu, in the northeastern part of Zigong City, Sichuan Province, China. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction, a national first-class museum, and a key museum in Sichuan Province. It is China's first specialized dinosaur museum built on the site of the "Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil Group Site," and it is also one of the world's three major dinosaur site museums. The museum covers an area of more than 70,000 square meters, of which the main exhibition hall has a building area of 6,600 square meters and an exhibition area of 4,600 square meters. Its architectural appearance resembles a large dinosaur lying on its side. It is divided into two floors inside and houses the world's largest and most complete collection of dinosaur fossils, possessing extremely high scientific research value and ornamental value.
Historical Culture
In 1972, the Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil Group Site was discovered. In 1977, the first excavation was carried out. In 1979, a large number of fossils were exposed due to infrastructure construction. In 1980, several vice chairmen of the Zigong Science and Technology Association jointly published an "Urgent Appeal for the Immediate Protection of the World-Rare Zigong Dinosaur Fossil Accumulation Layer and the Establishment of a Natural History Museum," which attracted the attention of relevant departments. In 1982, the State Planning Commission agreed to build the Zigong Dinosaur Museum and allocated 2 million yuan. In 1983, the foundation project of the museum began construction. In 1985, the main hall project was completed. In 1986, the ancillary projects of the museum were completed. In the same year during the Spring Festival, it opened for trial exhibition. In 1987 during the Spring Festival, it was officially opened to the public. In 2001, it was named a National Geopark and underwent renovation and expansion. In 2008, Zigong City successfully applied for a Global Geopark with the Zigong Dinosaur Museum as the core park.
Main Attractions
Dinosaur World Hall
It adopts a modern popular ecological display. Twenty-one dinosaurs of different sizes, species, and forms are shaped and combined according to their different physiological and living characteristics, forming a set of ecological group sculptures that are both interconnected and independent, supplemented by a simulated environment, making people feel as if they are in the Jurassic Kingdom.
Dinosaur Site Hall
With a total area of nearly 1,500 square meters, it is the largest fossil burial site available for viewing in the world so far. Representative fossil exhibits include the skeleton of a Bashan lizard dinosaur about 12 meters long. On the site, figures of excavators are set up to restore the scene of the excavation site.
Dinosaur-Era Flora and Fauna Exhibition Hall
By presenting fossils of other Mesozoic flora and fauna, it restores a system with biodiversity during the dinosaur era. It focuses on introducing some animals and plants that lived during the same period as dinosaurs, including fish, birds, reptiles, plants, insects, etc. These fossils provide important evidence for the study of dinosaurs and the entire history of biological evolution.
Dinosaur Fossil Treasures Exhibition Hall
What is displayed here are national treasure-level fossil treasures with extremely high scientific value and complete preservation, reflecting from one aspect the rich "family assets" of fossil resources in the "Hometown of Dinosaurs."
Dinosaur Exploration Hall
Built on the newly discovered dinosaur fossil site within the museum park, the basic exhibition theme is "Age of Giants on Rocks." Its building area is 3,334 square meters, including four units: "Rise of Dinosaurs," "Prehistoric Overlords," "Fall of an Empire," and "Dinosaurs Take Flight."
Paleontology "Disease" Special Exhibition Area (Temporary Exhibition in the Museum)
Relying on the latest paleopathological research results of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum, it gathers more than 300 paleontological fossil specimens collected from home and abroad, including 32 paleopathological fossil specimens and 18 rare specimens. The exhibition starts from the perspective of "diagnosing" paleontology and, from the perspective of modern medicine, divides the exhibition content into science popularization topics such as the emergency space and the orthopedics space.
Suggested Tour Route：
You can first check in at Longshan and overlook the Dinosaur Site Hall from Longshan; then visit the Dinosaur Site Hall, where the exhibition area is 3,600 square meters. The basic exhibition is "The Magical Jurassic World," including six exhibition parts: the preface hall, Dinosaur World, Dinosaur Site, Central Hall, Dinosaur-Era Flora and Fauna, and the Treasures Hall; then go to the Dinosaur Exploration Hall to learn about the rise, dominance, and fall of dinosaurs; next go to the Paleontology "Disease" Special Exhibition Area to understand paleontology from the perspective of modern medicine; finally, you can see the fossil of the Emeisaurus jiaoi. It is a type of large long-necked sauropod dinosaur unique to the Zigong area during the Middle Jurassic, with a body length of 23 meters, and it is currently the largest individual dinosaur discovered in Dashanpu.
Tour Suggestions：
It is recommended to arrive at the scenic area early to avoid peak tourist periods so that you can visit more comfortably.
You can rent an audio guide or follow the scenic area's tour guide team to gain a deeper understanding of dinosaur knowledge and the museum's history and culture.
Pay attention to protecting the exhibits while visiting and do not touch the fossils.
Notes：
Follow the rules of the scenic area and do not make loud noises inside the museum.
The lighting inside the museum is dim, so watch your step while visiting.
If bringing children, take good care of them and avoid running and playing, which may affect other visitors.
Transportation：
Bus: You can take local buses in Zigong to the Dinosaur Museum Station. Specific bus routes include No. 35 and No. 306.
Self-driving: Starting from the urban area of Zigong, you can reach the museum via Shenhaiijing Road, Dongyandu Avenue, etc. Set the navigation to "Zigong Dinosaur Museum."
Opening Hours：
Opening hours are 8:30–17:30, with ticket sales stopping at 17:00. Please refer to the scenic area's actual opening hours.
On 2025-04-29, the museum issued a closing announcement and officially closed on 2025-05-10. The specific reopening time will be announced separately. Please obtain the latest information from the official WeChat public account.
Tickets：
Tickets are 40 yuan per person.