Nanjing Museum of Palaeontology

Amidst the curling incense smoke of Jimi Temple and the blossoming sea of cherry blossoms on the avenue, there lies an unassuming yet remarkably significant treasure—the Nanjing Paleontology Museum. Situated on the south side of the Jimi Temple Scenic Area, just a wall away from this thousand-year-old Buddhist temple, it stretches the scale of time from a mere millennium to hundreds of millions of years.

I. More Than “Niche” — A World-Class Professional Institution

The Nanjing Paleontology Museum is affiliated with the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) , and was jointly established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province. It is a modern museum integrating exhibition, collection, research, and education. With a total construction area of 8,500 square meters and nearly 4,200 square meters of exhibition space, it is one of the world’s largest professional paleontology museums. The museum completed a comprehensive exhibition upgrade on New Year’s Day 2021 and has since been open to the public free of charge, presenting the story of Earth’s evolution and the history of life in a brand-new light.

II. Treasures of the Collection: From the Chengjiang Biota to Sinosauropteryx

The museum specializes in collections of fossilized invertebrates, paleobotany, and micropaleontology, featuring a rich and exquisite array of fossil specimens. Two of the most renowned “national treasure” fossil assemblages are:

• The Chengjiang Biota — Hailing from Yunnan Province and dated to approximately 518 million years ago, this is a precious testament to the Cambrian Explosion, showcasing the magnificent and sudden emergence of major animal phyla in the early history of life.

• The Jehol Biota — Represented by the “Sinosauropteryx,” the museum’s “crown jewel” and the world’s first discovered feathered dinosaur fossil, which provided crucial evidence for the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs.

In addition, the museum displays significant fossil specimens including the Guizhou ichthyosaur (Guizhouichthyosaurus), the saber-toothed cat (Machairodus), and the Nanjing Man (Homo erectus). In April 2026, the museum launched China’s first special exhibition dedicated to fossil-bearing concretions, titled “Nature’s Nucleus,” bringing together rare concretionary fossils from around the world, including Asia’s largest Early Triassic Whiteia fossil (measuring 29 cm in length) and a 3-meter-long Guizhou Guanling ichthyosaur fossil.

III. Immersive Exhibition: Walking the “Path Uphill,” Travelling Through 600 Million Years

The museum’s exhibition is organized around the theme “Evolving Earth, Evolving Life,” following a chronological timeline. The staircase leading from the first to the second floor is designed as the “Path Uphill” — simulating the geological profile of Nanjing’s strata from 540 million to 140 million years ago. With each step upward, you travel through ten million years of Earth’s history.

Along this path, both sides are embedded with simulated rock sections of Nanjing’s strata from the Sinian to the Jurassic periods, displaying many locally discovered fossils. Walking this path is like experiencing hundreds of millions of years of marine and terrestrial transformations in the Nanjing area. The museum also features over a dozen thematic exhibition zones, including the Dinosaur World, the Colonization of Land, Invertebrate Fossil Gallery, the Permian Mass Extinction, and the Origin and Evolution of Birds.

IV. Where Science Meets Romance: A Coffee Bar with a View of Jimi Temple

The museum’s second floor houses a Science Café with 180-degree floor-to-ceiling windows directly facing Jimi Temple. Visitors can enjoy a cup of “Cambrian Latte” or “Pterosaur Latte Art Coffee” while seated by the window, appreciating the cherry blossom avenue and the ancient temple’s charming scenery—with paleontology-themed drinks in hand.

This “photogenic” corner has become one of the museum’s highlights, particularly popular during the cherry blossom season when the window frames a sea of pink blossoms and visitors outside, while inside, hundred-million-year-old fossils and a warm cup of coffee create a perfect intersection of science and romance.

V. Family-Friendly Science Education and Nearby Attractions

The museum is a National Science Education Base and a Jiangsu Provincial Scientist Spirit Education Base, offering regular public science activities, educational lectures, and hands-on workshops. The exhibits are accompanied by richly illustrated explanations and interactive multimedia presentations, making the museum highly suitable for family visits and school groups.

Located right next to Jimi Temple, visitors can easily explore a series of landmarks on foot: the ancient Jimi Temple, the Ming City Wall (Taicheng section), and Xuanwu Lake—forming a perfect one-day itinerary of “Cherry Blossom Avenue — Ancient Temple Visit — Fossil Exploration — City Wall Panorama.” A suggested route is to visit Jimi Temple and the City Wall in the morning, tour the museum in the afternoon, and then relax at the Science Café—all within walking distance, connecting Nanjing’s thousand-year history with the beauty of nature spanning hundreds of millions of years.

VI. Practical Information

From the Cambrian trilobites to the Jurassic dinosaurs, from the incense of Jimi Temple to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the café—the Nanjing Paleontology Museum, in its own unique way, compresses billions of years of Earth’s history into one building, waiting quietly for every curious visitor to explore and discover.