Country
Fossil hunting in China
Western Liaoning Province in northeast China preserves the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota — Yixian and Jiufotang formations that produced the world's first feathered dinosaur (Sinosauropteryx, 1996) and have since yielded thousands of exceptionally preserved feathered theropods, early birds, mammals, and insects.
Fossil law in China is strict. The 2010 Regulation on the Protection of Paleontological Fossils prohibits export of any vertebrate fossil and most significant invertebrate or plant fossils. The local fossil trade in Liaoning villages remains a recurring problem and tourists should not buy specimens.
Reach the Jehol Biota outcrop belt via Chaoyang or Beipiao, both accessible by train or short flights from Beijing or Shenyang. A Chinese-speaking driver or guide is strongly recommended; signage outside major museums and geoparks is minimal in English.
Top picks: Sihetun National Geopark, Liaoning (Sinosauropteryx discovery site, in-situ Jehol Biota under a protective shelter, fee).
1 fossil site
