Chengjiang Fossil Site

Yunnan, a region featuring mountains and plateaus on the country’s southwestern frontier, is the province boasting the richest diversity in all China, both in its extraordinary mix of peoples and in the splendor of its landscapes. In 1984, a researcher from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of Chinese Academy of Sciences found a fossil of a Naraoia on a mountain in Chengjiang County, which turned out to be one of the great discoveries in the 20th century. 

Since then, scientists from all over the world came to this place to excavate fossils. The more they explored, the more they knew about the spectacular Cambrian world which could date back to 541 million years ago. Later, on July 1, 2012, Chengjiang Fossil Site was finally included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO for it is one of the best-preserved sites of Cambrian fauna. 

If you are interested in fossils and the evolution of life, you must come to this place where you could see the most complete record of an early Cambrian marine community with exceptionally preserved biota, and the anatomy of hard and soft tissues in a wide variety of organisms, invertebrate and vertebrate! Just come and start your journey on the evolution of life!