Hezheng Paleozoological Museum

Hezheng Paleozoological Museum
和政古动物化石博物馆

Address: Liangjiazhuang village, Chengguan town, Hezheng county, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province
Opening hours:
Winter: 9 am - 5 pm (last entry 4:30 pm)
Summer: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm (last entry 5 pm)
Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)
General admission: Free admission with valid ID card
Tel: (+86 930) 5524668; 5508213

Situated on the northeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Linxia Basin preserves nearly continuous sedimentary strata dating back at least 30 million years, documenting the plateau's uplift history. This geological marvel serves as a natural laboratory for reconstructing environmental changes and biological evolution, containing multi-scale, multidimensional scientific evidence of exceptional value.

The Hezheng region within the basin is particularly remarkable for its Cenozoic fossils, boasting ten world records, including the largest concentration of giant rhinoceroses (Paraceratherium, the world's largest ever land mammal), the richest collection of fossils of shovel-tusked elephants (Platybelodon), the biggest three-toed horses (Hipparion), the earliest savanna flora, the largest hyena (Dinocrocuta or giant hyena), the Hezheng sheep found nowhere else in the world, the closest known ancestor of modern bears (Ursavus tedfordi), the earliest known imitative songbird (Panraogallus hezhengensis), the oldest preserved protein detected in an ostrich egg fossil and the largest horse – Equus eisenmannae.

You can explore them at Hezheng Paleozoological Museum, which earned recognition from the World Record Certification Agency (WRCA) for having the world's largest collection of shovel-tusked elephant skull fossils in September 2021.

Opened in 2003, the museum houses more than 30,000 fossil specimens spanning three classes, eight orders and more than 250 species — including over 80 newly discovered ones — across four major Late Cenozoic mammals. Visitors can plan their trip at three themed exhibition halls.

At the Linxia Geology Hall, witness the rise of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the geological evolution of the Linxia Basin.

At the Life Evolution Hall, trace the story of Hezheng's four major mammal and their adaptations to changing environments.

At the Late Cenozoic Mammal Fossil Hall, marvel at various mammal fossils including examples of those covered by the ten world records mentioned above.

A visit to the Hezheng Paleozoological Museum is like opening a window to the prehistoric world — a journey into the wonders of life's evolution and the dynamic forces shaping our nature.