Maotian Mountain in Chengjiang County

Situated in the east of Chengjiang plain area, the Maontian Mountain is about eight kilometers away from the county of Chengjiang. It is one of the peaks of the Eastern Mountain which got the name because it‘s shape of a straw hat. Form the appearance, the foreigners who are learning Mandarin Chinese may think Maotian Mountain has nothing special because it has only a circumstance of one kilometers and an altitude of 2,026 meters. But what the scientists found in the mountain area made it famous all around the world.

In July 1984, Hou Xianguang, the researcher from Nanjing Geology and Palaeontology Institute found fossils of Naluo insect in Maotian Mountain. Later, it was confirmed as the invertebrate animal fossils of the 530 million years ago, which is the world‘s oldest and most complete fossils of soft body animal, including odd shrimp and Yunnan insect. But when you come to study abroad in China, you should know the news of finding paleontological fauna fossils in Chengjiang was officially announced to the world in April 1987, causing a sensation to the field of geology and palaeontology.

It is regarded as the most amazing found in the 29th century, making Maotian Mountain famous. Subsequently, the paleontologists in China started to do research on the thousands of pieces of early Cambrian animal fossils specimens collected in Maotian Mountain. When learning in intensive Chinese language courses, teachers may tell you that there are totally more than 40 categories and 100 kinds of animals with well-preserved samples. They provide an important basis for the research of the history of life on Earth because some of animals’ oral structures and intestinal canal in body can be seen clearly.

After that, Maotian Mountain won great fame in the world. It is called the sacred place of the paleontology in the world and listed into the global geological sites by the United Nations, becoming the outstanding mode of representing the important historical stage on earth and including the life record. In addition, the Naluo insect fossil coenosis is listed as the provincial level natural reserve by Yunnan Government because it has great scientific value in researching the biological evolution. In order to provide a scientific survey tourist resort to visitors, a museum will be constructed in Maotian Mountain.