Comprehensive investigation report on "China's Home of Ornamental Stones" in Yixian County, Liaoning Province

On August 18th and 19th, 2007, a group of three of us inspected its ornamental stone resources in Yixian County, Liaoning Province. We first listened to a report from Ma Haifeng, County Magistrate of Yixian County, on the ornamental stone resources in Yixian County, mainly the storage, development, utilization and protection of paleontological fossil resources, as well as the popularization of relevant scientific knowledge; and accompanied by the relevant leaders of Yixian County, we inspected Yixian Paleontological Fossil Base, Museum and Personal Collection of Strange Stones.

The relevant situation is now reported as follows.

1. Overview of ornamental stone resources in Yixian County

Yixian County, Liaoning Province is a famous source of paleontological fossils in my country. Judging from the current findings, they are roughly distributed in an area of ??238 square kilometers in 7 towns in the central and western part of the county. As early as the 1920s, the American geologist Gripp named the paleontological fossils in western Liaoning the "Rehe Fauna" based on the paleontological fossils he discovered in Yixian - phyllopods, wolffin fish, ephemera, etc. Since then, Gu Zhiwei, a famous Chinese paleontologist, has collectively called the fossil group represented by the wolf-finned fish, the three-tailed ephemera, and the oriental phyllophylla the "Rehe Biota." With the continuous discovery of paleontological fossils, Yixian County, Liaoning Province has become famous at home and abroad, attracting great attention from many domestic and foreign paleontologists.

The inspection team held discussions with local leaders

To sum up, Yixian paleontological fossil resources have many types, large quantities, wide distribution, good preservation, many occurrence layers and many fossil origins 6 major features. Most of the paleontological fossils in Yixian were formed in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era, about 145 million to 120 million years ago. So far, Confucian birds, enantiornithes, modern birds, pterosaurs, ornithopods Iguanodon, ceratopsian Psittacosaurus, long-necked diapsids Loonosaurus, lizards Sagitosaurus, turtles, and frogs have been discovered , fish, shrimps, phyllopods, ostracods, insects, bivalves, gastropods, plants, pollen, petrified wood and charophytes and other nearly 20 categories of fossils. As mentioned in the declaration, these paleontological fossils in the Yixian area include those that fly in the sky, swim in the water, travel on land and grow in the soil. It is not difficult to see from this that Yixian, Liaoning, has quite rich paleontological fossil resources. Paleontologists say that Yixian County in Liaoning Province is a treasure house of paleontological fossils, the place where the first bird took off and the first flower bloomed.

In addition to paleontological fossil resources, there are also ornamental stones such as fluorite, crystal and agate buried in Yixian. With the development of the ornamental stone industry, the development and utilization of crystal, agate, etc. has also attracted the attention of the local government.

2. Resource utilization

The uniqueness and irreplaceability of paleontological fossil resources in Yixian County and even the entire western Liaoning region has aroused the attention of domestic and foreign paleontologists from the beginning of their discovery. Attaching great importance to it; paleontologists from many countries have participated in the research and achieved a number of important research results; and there are breakthroughs every year, making Yixian’s paleontological fossils occupy a pivotal position in the world’s paleontological research. It has become the cradle of training paleontologists and has produced a number of well-known paleontologists at home and abroad.

As a base for scientific research on paleontology and fossils, Yixian organizes academic research and cultural exchange activities on paleontology every year, organizes domestic and foreign experts and enthusiasts to write articles and publish books, and accumulate and disseminate paleontological science knowledge.

As paleontologists continue to deepen their research on Yixian paleontological fossils and make breakthroughs in paleontological fossil categories and genera, especially breakthroughs in dragons and birds, Yixian paleontological fossils It has received great attention from experts and scholars at home and abroad. In 1994, the Yixian People's Government established the first paleontological fossil museum in Liaoning Province, the Yizhou Fossil Museum; in 1996, the museum was designated as the Western Liaoning Branch of the China Geological Museum by the former Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources. Huawei titled the museum. At present, Yizhou Fossil Museum has 5 exhibition halls including dinosaurs, animals, plants, and popular science films, and has a collection of nearly 10,000 fossils of various types, including more than 200 exquisite ones. The establishment of the Yizhou Fossil Museum and its enriched collections provide paleontologists with a vast space for scientific research. More importantly, it provides young people and ordinary people who love paleontological fossils with a way to understand nature and A platform to learn about nature. In recent years, Yizhou Fossil Museum has been named "Science Popularization Base of Chinese Paleontological Society", "Liaoning Province Science Popularization Education Base" and "Jinzhou Science Popularization Education Base". Since its opening, the Yizhou Fossil Museum has received hundreds of thousands of visitors, including a large number of domestic and foreign experts and scholars.

In order to popularize the knowledge of paleontological fossils and cultivate the noble sentiments of loving the motherland and hometown in students from an early age, the protection of paleontological fossil resources has been started from primary and secondary school students. The People's Government of Yi County organized the county Education Bureau and other relevant departments to base on this Based on the current situation of the county's ornamental stone resources, based on the thinking ability and cognitive rules of young people, a set of popular science books "Fossil Exploration" was planned and compiled. As a course, it is gradually improved from the shallower to the deeper, and is implemented in primary and secondary schools throughout the county. This is very valuable.

It is understood that the paleontological fossil exhibition halls in many domestic museums currently display paleontological fossil specimens discovered in Yixian County, Liaoning Province. The Yi County government actively supports collectors who love paleontological fossils to establish paleontological fossil museums in various places. A large-scale museum in Shenzhen, Guangdong was established using Yixian paleontological fossils and petrified wood.

In order to promote the development of local tourism, the Yixian County Government of Liaoning Province also organized efforts to properly develop fluorite, crystal and agate in Yixian County.

3. Resource protection status

Field inspection

Yixian County Party Committee and County Government attach great importance to the protection of ornamental stone resources. In order to popularize the knowledge of paleontological fossils and enhance people's awareness of the protection of this non-renewable resource, Yixian Paleontology was established in December 2002 in accordance with the "Liaoning Provincial Regulations on the Protection and Management of Paleontological Fossil Resources" and with the approval of the Liaoning Provincial People's Government. The Fossil Provincial Nature Reserve adopts an advanced scientific management system to protect various types of paleontological fossil resources and the ecological environment of various fossil origins. In addition, combined with the current status of protection and development of paleontological fossil resources in Yixian County, it has successively formulated and promulgated the county's paleontological fossil regulations. and a series of regulations and measures for the protection of ornamental stone resources; the "Liaoning Yixian Paleontological Fossil Nature Reserve Management Office" was established, which consists of administrative departments, conservation stations, fossil museums and other functional departments. The relevant personnel have a clear division of labor and assigned responsibilities. ; Established the first public security bureau and police station in Liaoning Province dedicated to the protection of ornamental stones; used methods such as centralized blasting and burial to seal off the sites of illegal fossil excavations, and organized personnel to patrol and supervise various fossil reserves all year round, and crack down on indiscriminate mining. Illegal and criminal acts of indiscriminate digging of fossils have been severely punished, which has effectively curbed the indiscriminate mining and excavation of paleontological fossils.

In response to the general public's interest in and appreciation of paleontological fossils, Yixian County has adopted the policy of "sparing" rather than "blocking" and "guiding" rather than "restricting". Under the principle of "protection first", the scientific development and utilization of ornamental stones should be regarded as an important task to develop tourism and achieve accelerated economic development. In the past few years, Yixian County has increased its efforts in the development of imitation fossil handicrafts, and has successively built 1 ornamental stone market, 10 ornamental stone shops, 1 fossil geological park and 6 other production and operation sites; it has 3,500 employees and an annual transaction volume Nearly 100 million yuan.

After years of continuous publicity and education, the concept of protecting paleontological fossil resources of "contributing to the present and benefiting the future" has been understood and accepted by local people; protecting paleontological fossil resources has also become a major issue in the local area. The conscious actions of most ordinary people.

IV. Resource Prospects

As a unique base of paleontological fossils, Yixian County, Liaoning Province has huge potential from the perspective of scientific research, and there are still many categories and genera of paleontological fossils. Species are yet to be discovered, studied and named by paleontologists. As the level of research increases, there will undoubtedly be new discoveries and breakthroughs in the study of ancient animal and plant fossils in the entire western Liaoning region, including Yixian. As the magistrate of Yixian County said, as ornamental stones, the paleontological fossils in Yixian County, Liaoning Province are different from other types of ornamental stones. We should not place too much emphasis on its tradeability and commerciality, but should pay attention to its scientific research and rarity. Our only starting point for applying for the "Hometown of Ornamental Stones" is that we need to understand paleontological fossils with a new concept, and we have the obligation and responsibility to protect the paleontological fossils. We must leave this rare treasure house of paleontological fossils in Yixian, Liaoning to our descendants intact as a natural heritage.

Another purpose that the Yi County government hopes to be named the "Hometown of Ornamental Stones" is to make the county's paleontological fossil resources a bright spot in the development of local tourism, thus stimulating the development of the local economy. As a local leader of a county, it should be said that it is valuable to have such an understanding of the county's paleontological fossil resources. Based on this understanding, in April 2005, the Yixian government reached an agreement with relevant German parties to invest 2 million euros to build a "Western Liaoning Yizhou Fossil Geopark" in the Yixian Paleontological Fossil Reserve. At present, the main project has been completed and the interior decoration and fossil specimen collection stages have entered. This move fully illustrates the worldwide impact of Yixian’s paleontological fossil resources.

During the inspection, we also learned about some of the planning prospects of the Yi County government for the protection, development and utilization of ornamental stone resources.

Under the guidance of the Scientific Outlook on Development and based on the rarity and irreplaceability of paleontological fossil resources, appropriate development and effective utilization for the purpose of scientific research will be implemented. Strengthen scientific research focusing on paleoecological environment, species evolution, etc., and gradually cultivate a group of technical backbones with strong professional knowledge and rich experience through cooperation with famous scientific research institutions and universities; absorb funds from different channels, Ensure sufficient funding for scientific research, launch a batch of high-quality, new-thinking scientific research results and necessary basic information to lay a theoretical foundation for the protection and scientific development and utilization of ornamental stones in Yixian County; use trench exploration projects as a means in a planned manner to conduct research on Yixian County Develop artificial sections in the formations of the Formation, Jiufotang Formation, Shahai Formation and Fuxin Formation, especially the fossil-bearing layers of the Yixian Formation, and purchase necessary instruments and equipment to provide research conditions for paleogeography; collect, exchange or purchase various types of Chinese and foreign paleontological fossils Specimens (models) and related books and materials lay the foundation for the fossil origin as a paleontological research base, establish paleontological fossils and geological science and technology archives in western Liaoning, and provide more complete conditions and environment for paleontological research.

Gradually increase investment in urban construction and gardening technology, strengthen the restoration and development of vegetation in protected areas, maintain the ecological balance and species diversity on the ground in nature reserves, and improve the ecological environment capacity of fossil origins and surrounding areas.

Continuously strengthen afforestation work in the periphery of fossil production areas and surrounding areas, green barren hills, and maintain ecological balance in the periphery of fossil production areas and surrounding areas; the government will gradually increase investment to accelerate the infrastructure construction of fossil production areas and roads between the natural and cultural landscapes of the outside world. Construction and network links will make Yixian a scientific research, science popularization, patriotic education and tourism base; in the future, the most complete paleontological fossil exhibition center with the most complete types and the most complete facilities in China will be built to focus on fossil cultural exchange, trade and research. An integrated tourism and trade center has built a large-scale paleontological fossil base in the country, making Yixian gradually become the hometown of ornamental stone culture with paleontological fossils as the mainstay.

Listen to the introduction of the geopark planning

After inspection by the expert group and comparing the naming conditions of "Hometown of Ornamental Stones", it was recommended that the naming review committee of "Hometown of Ornamental Stones" be discussed and approved.

Expert inspection team of China Ornamental Stone Association:

Yan Liben, consultant of China Ornamental Stone Association and former director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Land and Resources

Li Tiegang, deputy director of China Ornamental Stone Association President, President and Editor-in-Chief of Geology Press

Gong Fazhong, Executive Editor of "Treasure" magazine of China Ornamental Stone Association, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Geology Press