SCIENTIFIC BASE OF CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN THE PALEONTOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF LIAONING IN CHINA
Authors:   Tomsk State University (Tomsk, Russian Federation), Liu Tengfei 
Published: February 2021

The article covers the formation of the scientific base for working with visitors at the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning in China. The original reason for the creation of the museum is stated, it was connected with 1990s, when numerous fossils were discovered in Liaoning province. The first of them were Sinosauropteryx and the Liaoning ancient fruit (Archaefructus liaoningensis). Later large number of fossils were discovered, they represent the flora and fauna of China existed more than 3 billion years ago. It is important to say that the Liaoning Provincial Department of Land Resources and Shenyang University saw scientific value of the paleontological findings. They decided to build a paleontological museum on a parity basis. Construction of the museum building at Shenyang University began in 2006, and the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning was opened in 2011. The world-famous paleontologists contributed immensely to the formation of the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning. They are Sun Ge (Chinese researcher), M.A. Akhmetyev (Russian scientist), F. Mosbrugger (director of the Museum of Natural History of Germany), K. Johnson (director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, USA) and professor P. Godfroy (Royal Institute of Natural History of Belgium). The staff of the Liaoning Museum, part-time researchers, as well as student volunteers of the Shenyang University participated in the development of the museum resources. Thanks to joint hard work, the museum has collected more than 30 thousand paleontological fossils. At present, the collection of the Liaoning Museum includes all kinds of animals and plants of ancient China, they are subdivided into seven classification groups. The reliance on the rich resources of the museum ensured the creation of the exposition, which occupies eight exhibition halls. They exhibit genuine monuments of paleontology, as well as replicas and models. They acquaint visitors with the ancient world of China, communicate the geological history of the Liaoning province, and reveal the kingdom of dinosaurs. The author of article emphasizes that in 2011, when the museum was opened, a department for the popularization of science was formed along with other departments. The main task of the workers of this department was to carry out cultural and educational activities with specialists and ordinary visitors. The department organizes exhibitions in China and abroad, conducts seminars for workers of Chinese nature museums. The scientific and educational section within the department for popularization of science also work with schoolchildren. During the first nine years of the museum's creation, three million single visitors and twenty thousand social groups have visited Paleontological Museum of Liaoning. So the article reveals the importance of cultural and educational activities that ensures the cooperation of the Liaoning Museum with other schools and museums in China, brings the museum to the international level.