Chen Jiming: deputy mayor and CCP committee member of Zigong Municipal People’s Government during February 2003 to present, and pluralistic director of Management Commission of Zigong Geopark of China as of March 2007

GGN Office: Would you like to introduce Zigong Geopark briefly?

Chen Jiming: Resorting to its magnificent heritage landscapes of dinosaur fossils, Zigong Geopark was listed in the first eleven national geoparks authorized by the Ministry of Land and Resources, P.R.C in March 2001, with the full name of Sichuan Zigong Dinosaur National Geopark. By the end of 2006, Zigong Municipal Commission and Municipal Government decided to apply for a global geopark by integrating dinosaur fossil resources, typical stratigraphic sections, long history of well-salt production and abundant historical and cultural remains. Afterwards, an experts’ group from UNESCO surveyed the Geopark in late August 2007.

Zigong Geopark of China, covering an area of 56.6 km², is divided into the following three scenic areas:

(1) Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil Site Scenic Area

With a planned area of 8.7 km² that accounts for 15.73% of total area of the Geopark, this area possesses the largest planned fossil burying site that is available for appreciation in the present world. Within the excavated area of 2,800 m², more than ten thousand specimens belonging to 200 dinosaurs and other vertebrates have been collected. The large comprehensive museum, which is the first to combine on-spot protection of dinosaur fossils, specimen exhibition and scientific research in China, has been built in this area. It is an absolutely excellent site for scientists’ dinosaur fossil research as well as a significant base of disseminating sciences and exhibiting protohistoric wonders.

According to the general layout of this area, the excavated site of dinosaur fossils and the burying area to be excavated are classified as the core protected zone, occupying 6,000 m²; the exhibiting zones other than the core protected zone as the first-grade protected zone, 19,000 m²; and the lands surrounding the dinosaur museum as the grade-three protected zone, 8.675 km², where a dinosaur kingdom park is under consideration.

(2) Qinglongshan Dinosaur Fossil Locality Scenic Area in Rongxian County (46 km²)

This area covers Rongxian County where dinosaur fossils of Zigong were discovered earliest and Qinglongshan of Fuxing Township where largely planned dinosaur fossils are buried. It occupies 46 km² that is 81.24% of total area. After the first piece of dinosaur fossil was excavated near Guandao, Xushui Riverside, Rongxian County, Zigong in 1915, numerous dinosaur fossil sites were ascertained and the first well-preserved skeleton of large saurian dinosaur fossil and partial fossils of other vertebrates were excavated at Xiguashan1.5 km away from the east of urban areas of Rongxian County. The dinosaur fossil beds of Qinglongshan, Fuxing Township, Rongxian County, which are approximately identical with the dinosaur fossil beds of Dashanpu in geological time, are superimposed each other and continuous without cease within the probing excavated 60 m². The above discovery is of important and special significance to further offset more deficient middle Jurassic dinosaur fossils in the world and resolve controversial issues in the research of Dashanpu dinosaur fossil beds.Nearly 20,000 Jurassic relict plants ¾ Alsohphila sinulosa ¾ are growing in the Alsohphila sinulosa flora within Jinhua Township, Rongxian County. They were once major foods of dinosaur, so they are called as “living fossils”. These plants have offered uncommon materials for the research of paleontology, paleo-geography and paleo-climatology and been of important value in the study of dinosaur era’s paleo-ecoenvironment and dinosaur’s evolvement.

The scope of 2 km² covering Fangqiuwan and Pangnichong near Qinglongshan, as the core zone of dinosaur fossil relics, has not been excavated but protected in situ for the time being due to the complicated tectonics there. It will be excavated once the technical conditions mature. Other discovered fossil sites around Qinglongshan, about 22 km², have been planned as the first-grade protected zone. Six or seven fossil sites discovered in Fubei, Fudong and other suburbs of Rongxian County have been merged as the first-grade protected zone. The area of Alsohphila sinulosa flora in Jinhua Township, about 10 km² and planned as the second-grade protected zone, will be constructed into a park quarter that highlights ecology, has regard to a dinosaur imitating garden and partial leisure facilities and integrates science dissemination, ecological sightseeing and tour holidaying.

(3) Zigong Well-Salt Industry Technology Scenic Area

With an area of about 1.92 km² equaling to 3.39% of total area of the Geopark, this area is composed of such ancient salt wells as Shenhai Well and Jicheng Well, Zigong Historical Museum of Salt Industry and Shenhai Park. Shenhai Well is the core protected zone in this area, occupying 1,500 m². As the first-grade protected zone, Zigong Historical Museum of Salt Industry (4,000 m²) and Jicheng Well (0.1 km²), where there are four ancient derricks and the intact old location of brine-extracting-for-salt-manufacturing salt site of Qing Dynasty, have a higher value in historic site conservation, scientific research and appreciation. Shenhai Park has been planned as the third-grade protected area, of which planned area is 1.815 km².

In the general plan, each scenic area is encircled by several scientific investigation spots including the standard formation section of “Ziliujin Group”, the silicified wood fossil site in Changshan Range, Lianggaoshan Mountain and Dongyuan Well, etc. These investigation spots are characterized principally by: (1) extremely high value in the scientific research of stratigraphy and paleontology; (2) uniqueness of burial landscapes and originality of paleontologic conservation; and (3) prominent historical and cultural value.

As far as tourists are concerned, all areas have constituted an organic whole since they are associated in the way of introduced contents, accessible each other via a tourist vehicle and a through ticket and uniform in logo and promotion.

GGN Office: What protective measures have you applied to geoheritage and cultural heritage in the Geopark?

Chen Jiming: Following related national laws and rules and international conventions, and sticking to the principle of “protection first”, we have conserved geoheritage and cultural heritage in the Geopark; protected authenticity, integrality and aboriginality of natural and human landscapes in the Geopark; conducted the graded and emphasized protection on the premise of integrality and diversity of ecosystems; and ensured the sustainable resources use on the basis of an accomplished concurrent improvement in economic, social and environmental benefits.

We have applied the protective measures as follows:

1. strictly maintaining the aboriginal ecoenvironment in the core protected area. All permitted campaigns of scientific investigation, science dissemination and teaching must be restricted to the given routes and within the designated scope under accompaniment of the management in order to furthest reduce the man-made destruction to the protected area;

2. making a declaration after sternly examining and approving all construction projects within the Geopark, and carrying on the veto system for protection of the Geopark;

3. prohibiting anyone from taking up the lands within fossil distributive area, since fossils are distributed widely in the Geopark, especially in Dashanpu, Qinglongshan of Fuxing Township and other regions where fossils are more splendid and representative;

4. being careful when constructing the facilities of tourist service or excavating within the Geopark, and retaining some experts of geology, paleontology, ecology, environment sciences and other sciences to review the feasibility and operational plans of all projects, because it is very hard to restore original appearance of the fossil ¾ the result of long-term geological processes ¾ once it is destroyed;

5. guiding the population scattered in the scenic area to centralize in villages and towns so as to form the scale benefit of residence and alleviate the impact of population pressure on the Geopark;

6. reinforcing the promotion and education of geoheritage and geo-landscapes conservation to enhance local residents’ awareness of protecting tourism resources and environment; and

7. strengthening the conservation of cultural relics within the Geopark in further work, as the Geopark teems with human and natural landscapes besides geoheritage and geo-landscapes, especially salt-well culture and colorful lantern culture resources with terrifically high value and with great excavation potential, and furthermore there are a series of cultural relics around the Geopark.

GGN Office: Would you please talk something about management agencies of the Geopark and their functions?

Chen Jiming: Management Commission of Zigong Geopark is a local agency of the municipal government. Subject to Zigong Municipal People’s Government, Management Commission of Zigong Geopark supervises and manages all affairs of the Geopark and performs the duty of unifying management and protection. It is responsible for macro planning, construction and promotion of the Geopark and for sustainable development of tourism in the Geopark. Its functions are detailed as follows:

1. planning and developing the Geopark and monitoring conservation and management of tourism resources;
2. executing a macro-regulation, supervision and inspection on implementation and completion of plans of all scenic areas;
3. taking charge of conservation, teaching, practice and scientific research of geoheritage;
4. training and educating talents needed by the Geopark;
5.developing, planning and managing tourism goods (in cooperation with departments concerned);
6 undertaking management, approval, site determination, level determination and administrative punishment of law enforcement for tourism;
7. accepting complaints about tourism;
8. evaluating status, studying theories, predicting development and so on; and
9. intensifying cooperation and communication with other geoparks.

Management Commission of Zigong Geopark involves management committees of three scenic areas, i.e. Management Committee of Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil Site Scenic Area, Management Committee of Qinglongshan Dinosaur Fossil Locality Scenic Area in Rongxian County and Management Committee of Zigong Well-Salt Industry Technology Scenic Area. Each management committee, under which office, research department, exhibition department, market development department and other internal departments are established, submits to leadership of Management Commission of Zigong Geopark.

c: Would you like to tell us something about tour interpretation system and guide training of the Geopark and its cooperation with universities or research institutes?

Chen Jiming: In three scenic areas of the Geopark, each sight spot has been equipped with Chinese-English bilingual logo system, Chinese interpreter, English interpreter and Japanese interpreter. The amount of guides can meet demands of tourists even in a busy season.

Management Commission of the Geopark often trains guides in linguistics, aesthetics, morphology, paleontology, geology, museum sciences and other professional skills to shape a high-quality guide team.

In the way of scientific research, the Geopark has been keeping a good cooperative relationship with China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Chendu University of Technology, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering and Chinese Salt Cultural Research Center, receiving teachers and students from universities for practice and research cooperation; moreover, the teaching practice base of university has been set up here.

GGN Office: What changes have taken place in local economy and social development since foundation of the Geopark?

Chen Jiming: Foundation of the Geopark has enriched the connotation of Zigong as an outstanding tourism city of China, raised recognition and reputation of the city, resolved employment of many residents, and improved residents’ living. A mass of tourists allured by the Geopark have spurred development of relevant industries so that the tourism-centered third industry has become a key component of Zigong’s GDP. Also, development of the Geopark has driven construction of infrastructure in the city as well as an enormous improvement in its traffic condition.

GGN Office: How is traffic condition of the Geopark?

Chen Jiming: Located in the south of Sichuan Province, Zigong Geopark (104°2′57″—105°16′11″E, 28°55′37″—29°38′25″N) is adjacent to the west of Luzhou City, the north of Yibin City, the east of Leshan City and the south of Neijiang. With a developed traffic, Zigong is about 200 km away respectively from Chongqing and Chengdu City, the capital of Sichuan Province, and 67 km away from Yibin Airport. Numbers of expressways through Zigong can take tourists wherever easily to the Geopark. Three scenic areas of the Geopark are connected each other by tourist express passages. A tourist can arrive in all core scenic areas quickly via the developed urban transport system.

GGN Office: what are your plans for further development of the Geopark?

Chen Jiming: Pursuant to the general plan, the Geopark will be developed and constructed by three phases in future. The near construction (2007~2010) is focused on the Phase I project of Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil Site Scenic Area that will activate its leading role to facilitate tourism development of the Geopark. What we should do is to: