The vast universe, the rotation of the sun and the moon, the twinkling stars, the rushing rivers, the quiet lakes, and the precipitation of hundreds of millions of years have created a strange land with deep traces of time - southwest Guizhou. Here, the whisperers of history and the poets of nature wrote a magnificent epic.
Tourists visit the copper chariot horses. Photo by Hu Yunjiang
Tourists visit the Xingyi National Geopark Museum. Photo by Liu Chaofu
On March 27, 2024, a world-renowned news came - Xingyi National Geopark was officially included in the list of global geoparks network. It is not only known as the kingdom of paleontology, the kingdom of karst landforms, and the kingdom of sedimentary rocks, but also the perfect combination of physics and art, and has become a precious heritage shared by all mankind.
Xingyi National Geopark Museum. Photo by Liu Chaofu
Back in 1957, a serendipitous discovery in Luyin Village, Dingxiao Town, Xingyi City, Guizhou dragon fossils unveiled the mystery of ancient sea creatures. At this moment, we seem to be able to see the ammonites and scallops floating lightly in the ancient ocean, the oriental rib fish playing and spitting, the awkward tooth dragon practicing swimming, and the "Guizhou dragon" and the sea dragon singing on the shore. It is a vivid and spectacular prehistoric picture that tells the story of life on Earth in ancient times.
Guizhou dragon fossils. Photo by Hu Yunjiang
Xingyi National Geopark is not only rich in ancient biological relics, but also integrates a variety of stratigraphic wonders, and has become a precious place for studying the evolution and migration of Triassic marine reptiles. Its addition undoubtedly fills the gap in the Global Geoparks Network and opens a door to the prehistoric world of time.
Exhibited at the Qianxinan Prefecture Museum. Photo by Hu Yunjiang
What's even more fascinating is that this land is also imprinted with the footprints of the mysterious ancient kingdom of Yelang. Yelang, this ancient and mysterious name, carries the profound history and culture of Guizhou. From the Maomao Cave site 10,000 years ago, to the ancient kingdom of Qiqi in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and then to the "Yelang Arsenal" from the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty, in the long history of southwest Guizhou, Yelang culture runs through it like a red line. Each unearthed cultural relic is a witness to history, telling the glory and decline of Yelang.
A corner of the exhibition of the Qianxinan Prefecture Museum. Photo by Hu Yunjiang
Southwest Guizhou, this ancient and mysterious land, not only has hundreds of millions of years of geological wonders, but also carries a heavy history and culture. Every exploration and discovery is a tribute to the past and an expectation for the future. It is a rising star of world-class tourist destinations, waiting for travelers from all over the world to come and explore.
Guizhou Daily Tianyan News reporter Tang Bo
Edited by Peng Zhili
Second instance Song Jie
Third Trial: Chen Yanyu