National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (natural, 2012) |
| Name | 澄江化石遗址 |
| Country | China |
| Nearby cities | Kunming |
| Nearby sites | Dianchi Lake, Kunming 38km, Jiuxiang 39km, Stone Forest of Lunan 39km, Puzhehei 127km, Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces 176km Search nearby |
| Latitude, longitude | 24.67, 102.98 Google Maps |
About
Chengjiang Fossil Site (澄江化石遗址) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012 as a natural site.
Travel tips
Getting there: the site is in Chengjiang, Yuxi, Yunnan, just north of Fuxian Lake and south of Kunming. Reach it by long-distance bus or by car on the expressway from Kunming.
Main sites: the core is the Maotianshan fossil site on the hill north-west of the town, and the Chengjiang Fossil World Natural Heritage Museum shows the specimens.
How to see it: start in the museum with the specimens and reconstructions, such as Yunnanozoon, Chengjiangocaris and Myllokunmingia, then go to Maotianshan for the outcrops and sections. The site is protected and some parts are closed to casual access.
The fossils: most specimens are a few centimetres long and need magnification; the museum has explanations and microscope displays.
Time: about half a day for the museum and Maotianshan; a full day with Fuxian Lake.
Season: any time of year. The climate around Kunming is mild, with rain from about June to September.
Where to stay: in Chengjiang town or by Fuxian Lake, or make a day trip from Kunming.
Combining: Fuxian Lake, next to Chengjiang, is the deepest lake in Yunnan.
Why it was inscribed
The World Heritage Committee found that it meets criterion (viii) of the ten selection criteria:
(viii) an outstanding example of major stages of Earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features.
Description (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)
A hilly 512 ha site in Yunnan province, Chengjiang’s fossils present the most complete record of an early Cambrian marine community with exceptionally preserved biota, displaying the anatomy of hard and soft tissues in a very wide variety of organisms, invertebrate and vertebrate. They record the early establishment of a complex marine ecosystem. The site documents at least sixteen phyla and a variety of enigmatic groups as well as about 196 species, presenting exceptional testimony to the rapid diversification of life on Earth 530 million years ago, when almost all of today’s major animal gro
Nearby
| World Heritage | Stone Forest of Lunan 39km, Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces 176km |
| National parks | Dianchi Lake, Kunming 38km, Jiuxiang 39km, Alu Caves 79km, Jianshui 118km |
| AAAAA attractions | Kunming World Horticultural Expo Garden 50km, Wanfeng Forest Scenic Area 199km |
| AAAA attractions | Chengjiang Maotian Mountain Cambrian World Natural Heritage Tourism Area <1km, Laoyuhe Wetland Park 27km, Dounan Flower Market 33km, Kunming Guandu Ancient Town 39km |
| Historic cities | Kunming 49km, Tonghai County 66km |
| Cities | Kunming 46km |
| Historical sites | Jinlianshan and Xueshan Site Cluster 4km, Shizhaishan Tombs 29km, Hebosuo Site 30km |