Located in the center of the ground floor, the Central Exhibition Hall displays the fossils of Mamenchisaurus, known as the “Giganotosaurus of the East”, discovered in Hechuan District, Chongqing, Huanghetitan of the Cretaceous period, Ichthyosaurus of the Triassic period, and other precious exhibits. The steps at the back of the hall are themed with sedimentary strata and Chongqing mountain trails. Mamenchisaurus Discovered in HechuanLocated in the Central Exhibition Hall, this exhibition area displays the 24-meter-long and 3.6-meter-high skeleton of Mamenchisaurus, which is also the largest dinosaur skeleton in Chongqing. Mamenchisaurus, found in Dashi Sub-Street, Hechuan District, is one of the largest dinosaurs in China and one of the most well-known Chinese dinosaurs in the world, being hailed as the “Giganotosaurus of the East”.HuanghetitanLocated in the Central Exhibition Hall, this exhibition area displays the restored skeleton of the Huanghetitan found in the Lanzhou Basin of Gansu Province. Huanghetitan of the Cretaceous period, characterized by its wide hips and long forelimbs, is one of the largest dinosaurs in China yet. At present, there is only one site of Cretaceous dinosaur skeleton fossils in Chongqing, which was discovered in Qianjiang District. Among the discovered skeleton fossils were the fossils of Huanghetitan.IchthyosaurLocated in the Central Exhibition Hall, this exhibition area mainly displays the Ichthyosaur fossil of the Triassic period, which is more than 7 meters long and was found in Fuyuan County, Yunnan Province Ichthyosaurs appeared in the Triassic period about 240 million years ago and vanished in the Cretaceous period about 90 million years ago. During the “Mass Extinction” at the end of the Permian period about 250 million years ago, 96% of marine life and 70% of terrestrial life on Earth went extinct, but not all reptiles did. The survivors continued to evolve, and Ichthyosaurs were one of them; they also became the top predator during this period.  SlopesLocated in the connecting passageway from the Central Exhibition Hall to the second floor, the slope area is built mainly based on the sedimentary rock strata that are widely distributed in Chongqing, vividly displaying the geological and geomorphological characteristics of Chongqing as the Mountain City. On both sides of the slope, there are featured exhibits such as Yubei fish fossils, Ornithomimus skeletons, Dromaeosaurus skeletons, and so on.

Located on the east side of the Central Exhibition Hall on the first floor, the Geological Evolution Hall starts with the introduction of Qutang Gorge, a pearl of geological evolution in the world. The developmental stories of the universe, the Earth, and Chongqing are told in chronological order with rock as the clue. There are six units in this hall including Preface, Story of the Earth, Historical Eras, Deciphering Rocks, Rock Turning into Soil, and Natural Forces.Story of the EarthAs a planet in our solar system in the vast universe, the earth originated from a primordial solar nebula 4.6 billion years ago. Since then, the four major systems that make up the earth, namely lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere, became interrelated and influenced one another. The earth’s historyhistory is made up of these spheres’ movements and the changes in the landforms and biological phenomena they brought about. This exhibition area mainly displays the origin of cosmic bodies and the earth, the evolution of the earth, and the modern earth and its neighbors. There are fine exhibits such as meteorites reflecting the formation of planets and the 3.8 billion-year-old magnetite quartzite, the ancestor of Chinese rocks.Plate MovementThe earth’s surface is mainly composed of six plates: the Eurasian plate, the Pacific plate, the Indian plate, the African plate, the American plate, and the Antarctica plate. The interior of the plates is relatively stable. However, the edges of the plates are home to intense tectonic activities such as earthquakes, magmatic activities, tectogenesis, and metamorphism due to the interaction of adjacent plates. This exhibition area mainly displays the relevant contents of plate movement through physical exhibits and dynamic light boxes, and boasts high-quality exhibits such as the video of “Chongqing Drift”.Sea and Continent Transformation of ChongqingThe evolution of Chongqing’s geological structure entered a stable stage in the Neoproterozoic period (about 800 million years ago), forming a unified Yangtze landmass that belongs to the South China block. Starting from the Qingbaikou Period (780 million years ago), the geological structure of Chongqing went through different stages including land, ice, sea, land, sea, river lake, land, and others successively. In chronological order, this exhibition area shows the history of the sea and continent transformation of Chongqing, with exquisite exhibits such as the Sea and Continent Transformation of Chongqing.Ancient Bashu Lake200 million years ago, the Indo-China movement formed mountains on the rims of the basin, and uplifted the Sichuan Platform, with the area inundated by sea water gradually rising as land. The sea basin was thus transformed into a lake basin. Sichuan Basin is almost occupied by a lake, which was called Bashu Lake. This exhibition area shows the formation of the ancient Bashu Lake from sea to lake basin and to a land basin with graphs, texts, and multimedia videos.Stratums of ChongqingRocks of Chongqing are mainly sedimentary rocks, which account for about 95%. The strata are relatively complete, ranging from Qingbaikou Period to Cretaceous Period. It is divided into 85 stratigraphic units, 20 of which are named after iconic places of Chongqing. The rocks of Chongqing formed in different times and environments are stacked in sequence in this exhibition area, which resembles a geological history book, silently telling the over-800-million-years geological history of Chongqing page by page. This area boasts Stratums of Chongqing, one of the most precious exhibits of the gallery, and many other exquisite exhibits.Rocks and MineralsRocks are composed of minerals, which are one of the materials that make up the Earth and the main component of the Earth’s lithosphere. Minerals are natural elements or compounds formed by geological processes. They have a relatively confirmed chemical composition and are the basic units of rocks. At present, there are more than 4,000 known minerals on Earth, most of which are solid. Rocks that contain useful minerals and are valuable for mining are called ores. This exhibition area mainly introduces the chemical composition, seven characteristics, shape, and hardness of minerals, and exhibits the hardest mineral - diamond.Sedimentary RocksMany rocks in Chongqing are sedimentary rocks, which account for about 95%. Sedimentary rocks are solidified from loose sediments on the earth’s surface and near-surface. They are often presented in layers. Sedimentary rocks usually contain the remains of ancient organisms and objects, which we call fossils. This exhibition area mainly introduces the formation principles, type, and color of sedimentary rocks. It has featured exhibits such as rock-making minerals, medicinal minerals, ripple structure, and other fine exhibits.Magmatic RocksThe condensation of high-temperature molten magma (the temperature is generally between 700 ~ 1200℃) on the surface or underground forms magmatic rocks, also known as igneous rocks. Magmatic rocks are the main body of the three types of rocks, accounting for 64.7% of the volume of crustal rocks. Magmatic rocks are the products of magmatic development, movement, condensation, and solidification. According to their functions, magmatic rocks can be divided into intrusive rocks and extrusive rocks. There are very few magmatic rocks in Chongqing, mainly distributed in Chengkou County. This exhibition area mainly introduces the structure, form, and characteristic distribution of magmatic rocks and displays Columnar Basalt and other fine exhibits.Metamorphic RocksMetamorphic rocks account for 27% of the crustal volume, but they are rare in Chongqing and only distributed in Youyang County, Chengkou County, and Xiushan County. This exhibition area mainly introduces the formation principles, structural characteristics, and classification of metamorphic rocks. The Soil of ChongqingChongqing has rich and diverse soil types due to its complex geological, geomorphic, and climatic conditions as well as the influences of human activities. The soil of Chongqing can be divided into 5 soil orders, 8 suborders, 12 great groups, 33 subgroups, 76 soil families, and 177 soil series, among which purple soil, yellow soil, paddy soil, lime (rock) soil, and yellow-brown soil are the major five groups, occupying more than 96% of Chongqing’s land area. This exhibition shows 12 great groups and 27 soil families of Chongqing. Cultivated soil is mostly distributed below 1000 meters above sea level, which is the main grain production base of Chongqing. While garden land, forest land, and grassland soil are mainly distributed over 1,000 meters above sea level, which represent the precious resources of forest and pasture land in Chongqing. This exhibition area mainly introduces Chongqing’s soil distribution, soil types, and soil functions mainly by displaying soil samples with explanations in texts or pictures. There are high-quality exhibits such as Chongqing’s precious soil - the Purple Soil.Geological ProcessesGeological processes are a variety of natural processes that form and change the earth’s material composition, internal structure, and external morphological characteristics, which can be divided into internal geological processes and external geological processes. Plate movement is believed to be the underlying cause of fractures, folds, and geological processes such as volcanic activities and rock metamorphism. The thermal energy from the sun causes the constant movement of the atmosphere and water, which renders the earth’s surface damaged by weathering, erosion, and other effects. The internal and external geological forces of the Earth coexist and influence each other. This exhibition area, with excellent exhibits such as specimens of folds, mainly displays the types, prototypes, and influences of common geological processes in Chongqing and the surrounding provinces and cities.Yangtze River and Three GorgesThe surging Yangtze River is like the main artery of China. From the Ba-Shu area to eastern China, it has nurtured a thousand-year civilization. It is a symbol of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization, as well as one of the important areas for the survival and evolution of early human beings. As a saying goes, “There will always be poems for the Three Gorges”. Literati of all ages have been full of praise for the magnificent and beautiful sceneries of the Three Gorges. Using dioramas, multimedia audio, and graphics, this exhibition area takes us back to hundreds of millions of years to see how the Yangtze River and the Three Gorges were formed. This exhibition area has the model of “Tracing the Source of the Yangtze River” and other fine exhibits.

Located on the west side of the central exhibition hall on the first floor, this hall presents different evolution periods of life in Chongqing one by one with abundant fossil specimens, restoring models, and paintings on the wall. It is divided into six sections: preface, the origin of life, the rise of vertebrates, the age of dinosaurs, the rise of mammals, and evolution of human beings.The Origin of LifeFrom the earliest life on Earth in the form of single cells in the primordial oceans to today’s rich and colorful life forms in every corner of the earth, life has gone through a long evolutionary road of nearly four billion years. For thousands of years, human beings have been dedicated to the exploration of this philosophical proposition and scientific puzzle - the origin of life. The exhibition area introduces several typical hypotheses of the origin of life, such as Theory of the Cosmic Germ, Hypothesis of the Miller-Urey Experiment, and Theory of the Iron-sulfur World. Cambrian ExplosionMore than 500 million years ago in the early Cambrian period, primitive life in the ocean exploded, and many phyla emerged in a short period of time, such as lobopods represented by Hallucigenia, coelenterates represented by sea anemones and jellyfish, proarthropods and arthropods represented by Fuxianhuia, trilobites, and Anomalocaris, and primitive vertebrates like Kunming fish. This exhibition area shows the characteristic types of organisms in the Cambrian period by restoring the Marine environment at that time, and has fine exhibits restoring the scenes of the Cambrian life explosion.InvertebratesInvertebrate is a generic term for animals without spines. Compared to vertebrates, invertebrates have simple and low-level body structures with undifferentiated nervous systems. Invertebrates include many phyla such as Physlum Coelenterata, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Brachiopoda, Physlum Echinodermata, and Hemichordata. This exhibition area mainly displays representative types of invertebrates through fossils and models, and has fine exhibits such as Sinoceras. Fish-Shaped AnimalsThis exhibition area introduces a variety of species of fish that lived from the Silurian to the present day, placoderm that existed from the middle Silurian to the end of the Devonian, chondrichthyan that existed from the early Devonian to the present days, acanthodian that existed from the middle Silurian to the end of the Permian, and bony fishes between the Devonian to the modern times. The exhibition area boasts a host of precious exhibits, represented by Entelognathus primordialis found in Yunnan province and Bianchengichthys micros of Chongqing. Dinosaurs in ChongqingChina is the world’s leading “dinosaur country”, and Chongqing is dubbed as a city built on the backbones of dinosaurs because a large number of dinosaur fossils have been found in Chongqing. By 2022, dinosaur fossils have been found in more than 70 sites in 29 districts and counties in Chongqing, many of which are world-famous dinosaurs. For example, the Yongchuan Dragon, one of the best-preserved theropod dinosaurs in the world; Mamenchisaurus that has its origins in Hechuan, known as the Oriental Dragon, and Chungkingosaurus, the world’s smallest stegosaurus. In particular, the world-class dinosaur fossil group discovered in Yunyang in 2015 is home to a wide variety of densely-distributed fossils of rich types, forming the largest dinosaur fossil wall built in the original Jurassic site. This exhibition area introduces the species, distribution, and featured relics of dinosaurs in Chongqing by displaying a large number of dinosaur fossil replica, fossil walls, dinosaur footprints, etc. It has many fine exhibits, such as Yunyang dinosaur fossil wall, fossils of Yunyangosaurus, Neornithischian Dinosaur fossils discovered in Yunyang, Chongqing, restored scenes of dinosaur footprints, fossils of primitive Bashan dinosaurs, fossils of Camarasaurus, fossils of Shunosaurus Lii, and fossils of Omeisaurus. Flying Dinosaurs to the SkyMost dinosaurs, like other reptiles, are covered in scales. However, the discovery of feathered dinosaur fossils has proved that many dinosaurs were covered in feathers rather than scales and that the skeletal features of these feathered dinosaurs are very similar to those of primitive birds, providing strong evidence for the hypothesis that birds originated from dinosaurs. This exhibition area shows the transformation process from dinosaurs into birds by playing a popular science video - Flying Dinosaurs to the Sky, birds’ fossils, and restoring models. MammalsMammals are mostly warm-blooded and viviparous vertebrates covered with full-body hair. They have a fast speed and diaphragms. They are named for their ability to lactate through the mammary gland. Mammals are also known as beasts. The extinction of dinosaurs in the late Cretaceous period created an opportunity for the survival and development of mammals and ended the 160 million years of “oppression” of dinosaurs to the ancestors of mammals, marking a new evolutionary history of mammals. Since then, mammals began to diversify. This exhibition area mainly shows the origin, classification, and evolution of mammals. It features exquisite exhibits such as the stegodon orientalis. Yanjinggou Fauna, WanzhouAfter many excavations and studies, Yanjinggou Fauna in Wanzhou has become the birthplace of Mammals in the Neogene Period research in China, the most abundant area of pleistocene fossils in South China and the typical representative producing area of mammals fossils in the Neogene Period buried in caves in South China. It is the origin of many paleontological fossil model specimens, such as ancient Cuon alpinus javanicus, Megatapirus augustus, Bibos gaurus grangeri, Capricornis sumatraensis, Arctonyx collaris, Rhizomys troglodyter. The fossils of Yanjinggou Fauna have thus become important materials for the research and comparison of Mammals in the Neogene Period in South China and other regions in Southeast Asia. This exhibition area shows the prosperity and diversity of Yanjinggou Fauna by using a large number of paleontological model racks and fossils and has exhibits such as Megatapirus augustus, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, and Ailuropoda melanoleuca baconi. Evolution of Human BeingsThe origin of human beings has always been a popular topic. At present, the earliest “human beings” discovered are Chadians in Africa, about 7 million years ago. In recent years, archaeological evidence shows that Chongqing is the densest and most continuous among many prehistoric cultural sites in the Yangtze River Basin. The ancient human sites found in Chongqing can establish a general framework of human evolution and cultural succession from 2.5 million years ago to the present, which shows that Chongqing is one of the most important evolutionary centers of human beings in East Asia. The Wushan Longgupo Site in Chongqing represents the earliest ancient human remains in East Asia. This exhibition area mainly displays the evolution process of human beings and important ancient human remains in Chongqing.

Located on the west side of the central exhibition hall on the second floor, following the sequence of showing Chongqing’s unique geographical features and natural resources, the hall comprehensively introduces the mountains, waters, forests, farmland, lakes, grassland, mineral resources, which expresses the idea of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It is divided into four units: Preface, Natural Resources, Man and Nature, and Conclusion.Chongqing’s Natural Resources Sand TableThis exhibition area vividly and comprehensively displays the distribution of natural resources such as landscapes, forests, fields, and grasses in Chongqing, regional characteristics, geomorphological types, characteristic landscapes through digital sand table projection.BashanChongqing is located east of the Sichuan Basin, and its terrain inclines from north to south to the Yangtze River Valley, located in China’s second step of land terrain. The mountains in the territory are undulating, mainly in the middle and low mountains. The mountainous area is about 62,000 square kilometers, accounting for 76% of the city’s area. It is divided into four geomorphic areas, namely, the West Chongqing Mountainous and Hilly Area, the Central Chongqing Structure Parallel Ridge Valley Area, the northeast Chongqing Dabashan Structural Dissolution Layered Mid-mountain Area, the Wushan-Qiyao Mountain Competent Bedrock Dissolved Canyon Mid-mountain Area. This exhibition area mainly uses model sand tables to display Chongqing’s mountain characteristics, with high-quality exhibitions such as the Gold Buddha Mountain Diorama, the Fairy Mountain diorama, and flower and terraced fields dioramas. Yushui (Waters of Chongqing)There are more than 5,300 rivers and more than 3,000 lakes in Chongqing, including 42 rivers with a basin area of more than 1,000 square kilometers, forming a water system structure of “one trunk, two bones, and seven branches”. The water area accounts for 2.65% of the city’s total area. The mainstream of the Yangtze River in Chongqing, with a total length of 691 kilometers, the Three Gorges Reservoir Area has a total storage capacity of 40 billion cubic meters, maintaining 35% of the country’s freshwater resources. This exhibition area mainly displays Chongqing’s rivers, lakes, and wetlands and their related place names and creatures.Forests and GrasslandsChongqing is one of the 34 key biodiversity areas in the world, which is rich in forest vegetation and grassland resources, mainly alpine meadows, which are quite characteristic. The forest resources area of Chongqing is 70.34 million mu, among which the forest land resources distribution of southeast Chongqing Wuling Mountain Town Clusters and the northeast Chongqing Three Gorges Reservoir Area Town Clusters are relatively concentrated, with 20.82 million mu and 32.74 million mu respectively. The grassland resources in Chongqing are mainly thermal shrubs and grasses, warm shrubs and grasses, and mountain meadows, which are mainly located over 1,000 meters above sea level with a total area of about 236 square kilometers. They are staggered with cultivated land and forest land. This exhibition area mainly shows the distribution characteristics and types of forests and grasses in Chongqing through exhibits such as Fairy Mountain alpine grassland dioramas. FarmlandThe total land area of Chongqing is 82,374 square kilometers. The landform is mainly mountainous and hilly, and the cultivated land accounts for 22.7% of the total land area. Although the area of cultivated land in Chongqing is small, it is quite distinctive. There are countless “granaries” such as Liangping Bazi, Xiushan Bazi, Miaoyu Bazi, Fengdu Taiping Bazi. There are Qijiang Hengshan Terrace, Wanzhou Luotian Terrace, Youyang Terrace, and other types of terraced fields. This exhibition area shows the distribution characteristics, morphological characteristics, and other contents of Chongqing fields through exhibits such as the diorama of Youyang Huatian Terrace and Chongqing Characteristic Agricultural Products Booth. BiodiversityThere are more than 6,000 species of wild vascular plants and more than 800 species of wild terrestrial vertebrates in the excellent refuge areas in Chongqing during the Quaternary glacial period, especially in the northeast and southeast Chongqing, which are essential components of 35 priority areas for biodiversity conservation in China (Daba Mountain and Wuling Mountain) and 34 hot areas for biodiversity conservation in the world (Mountains in Southwest China). In Chongqing, there are rare and endangered plants such as Cephalanthera nanchuanica, Scutellaria tsinyunensis, Primula mallophylla, Adiantum nelumboides, and world-class terrestrial wildlife such as Trachypithecus francoisi, Viverricula indica, Mergus squamatus, Aquila chrysaetos, etc. This exhibition area shows Chongqing’s rich biodiversity in the form of a biological specimen wall and exhibition boards with texts and pictures. It has fine exhibitions such as the Chongqing plant specimen wall and Chongqing insect surface wall. Rich MineralsMineral crystal is a popular mineral type because of its exquisite shape and magnificent color. This exhibition area mainly displays Wolframite in Hunan, kyanite in Madagascar, Lepidolite in Brazil, Malachite in Laos and other dozens of various ores, including turquoise and other fine exhibits.Mineral Resources in ChongqingAt present, among the 173 known mineral resources in China, 70 kinds of minerals have been found in Chongqing, of which 44 have been found to have reserves, and 23 have been developed and utilized. Dominant minerals in Chongqing include Shale Gas, Natural Gas, Geothermal, Manganese Ore, Bauxite, Strontium Ore, Witherite, Barite, and Mercury Ore, with obvious zoning and relatively concentrated distribution. This exhibition area has Chongqing characteristic ores such as Chengkou Witherite, Dazu Strontium Ore, Wushan Iron Ore, and Youyang Fluorite. Shale GasChongqing is rich in shale gas resources, with geological resources of 13.7 trillion cubic meters, ranking third in the country after Sichuan and Xinjiang. By the end of 2021, Chongqing has accumulated 920.9 billion cubic meters of proven geological reserves, accounting for about 41% of the country, and 46.2 billion cubic meters of shale gas (8.9 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021), accounting for about 50% of the country. Fuling Shale Gas Field is the first large-scale shale gas field with a production capacity of 10 billion cubic meters in China. This exhibition area shows the development and utilization process and working principle of shale gas by using the exploitation platform model, and water immersion experiment. It has fine exhibits such as shale gas exploration and production diorama.Salt of ChongqingChongqing is rich in rock salt resources, with a wide distribution area and a long mining history. As early as the end of the Neolithic Age more than 4,000 years ago, salt production began in the Xiajiang area of Chongqing, such as Ningchang in Wuxi, Yun’an in Yunyang, Tujing in Zhongxian, Yantang in Kaizhou, Yushan in Pengshui, and other places. At that time, the ancient brine springs in these areas had been relied on as raw materials for salt production. Rock salt in Chongqing is mainly distributed in Wanzhou, Changshou, Hechuan, Dianjiang, Yunyang, and other districts and counties. Rock salt mines range from small lenses to large rock salt beds. The rock salt has a high grade and few impurities. The rock salt reserves in the city are 11.959 billion tons. This exhibition area mainly introduces the history of the development and utilization of Chongqing’s salt industry, the characteristics of resource distribution, and the related cultural heritages. Hot SpringsChongqing has unique hot spring resources. The development and utilization of geothermal resources in Chongqing have a long history. The evolution of its utilization mode has played a very important role in the origin of the ancient Ba culture in Chongqing and the development of Chongqing city. In 2010, Chongqing was awarded the first batch of “Capital of Hot Springs in China” by the former Ministry of Land and Resources. Thus, hot springs have become a famous name card of Chongqing. This exhibition area mainly displays the distribution of hot spring resources in Chongqing, the characteristics of Chongqing, and the history of Chongqing’s development and utilization by using graphic display boards and geological models. Geologic HazardsAs a famous mountain city, Chongqing’s geological disasters are very typical natural disasters. Chongqing is located in the slope area around the Sichuan Basin’s margin. With a complex geological environment, steep slopes, deep valleys, and large rivers and reservoirs, Chongqing is one of the regions with the most severe geological disasters and the most threatened population in China. This exhibition area shows the types of common geological disasters in Chongqing, such as landslides, collapses, mud rock flows, surface collapses, and ground fissures, in the form of cartoons, and introduces disaster prevention and self-rescue.Nature ProtectionMan and nature are a community of life. In the process of social development, we must respect nature, comply with nature and protect nature. Only by following the laws of nature, adhering to ecological priority and green development, can we stand on a higher dimension of sustainable development of human civilization, achieve harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and build a vibrant scene of “all things alive”. This exhibition area highlights the important measures taken by Chongqing to implement the “Four Mountains” protection, “Green Mountains on Both Sides of the Straits, Thousand Mile Forest Belt”, build a nature reserve system, and other projects to build an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Located in the outdoor area of the exhibition hall, it is an extension of the indoor space and content of the exhibition hall. It is mainly arranged with dinosaur theme exhibition areas for a dinosaur model and life scene simulation, featured rock and ore specimen exhibition areas, rare animals and plants drawing, and natural resources theme exhibition areas for science popularization wall.