Geopark & Scientific Research and Popularization
Zhangye Geopark seriously follows the principle of "strict protection, moderate development, and reasonable construction". Taking the protection of geoheritages and natural ecology as the key, it has carried out in-depth Geological scientific research, Geological popular science publicity and education activities, and actively developed new forms of geological research and tourism. With the continuous expansion of exchanges and cooperation with scientific research institutions and institutions of higher learning, the scientific research and popularization in Zhangye Geopark has stepped up a new stage.
Being Improved Science Facilities for Scientific
Research and Popularization
In May 2015, Zhangye Geopark was evaluated as Gansu Provincial Popular Science Education Base from 2015 to 2019. Based on the enhancement of public’s awareness of protecting geological resources, Zhangye National Geopark Administration promotes the scientific development of geological resources and invests a large amount of funds to build and improve supporting facilities for scientific research and popularization.
Zhangye Geopark Museum is an important infrastructure for the park, officially opened to the public in September 2015. The entire museum covers an area of 20,000m² and a building area of 7,300m² with a total investment of about 160 million yuan and a steel-concrete space truss structure, of which the exhibition hall area is 4,800m², setting five functions of collection, protection, research, exhibition and education in one. It has been named "Historical Reappearance Project · Museum", "Gansu Provincial Characteristic Popular Science Base" and "Gansu Provincial Science Popularization Demonstration Base".
In the museum, a popular science film hall to shoot the 4D film "Look at Zhangye in the Sky" and a VR experience hall with a one-time capacity of 35 people to collect and display a total of 80 specimens of various rocks, minerals and paleontology were set up. The museum displayed a large number of words, pictures and material objects, and introduced the formation and characteristics of the Colorful Hills and Danxia landforms of Zhangye National Geopark in an all-round and three-dimensional way through sound, light, electricity and other equipments, so as to show the magical landscape and geological changes of Zhangye from various angles. Combined with the application for the establishment of the Global Geopark, the exhibition facilities of the museum were rebuilt and upgraded in 2019, which further enriched the content of geological science popularization. Since its opening in September 2015, the museum has received more than 800,000 tourists, with the highest daily tourist reception reaching 20,000, which has been well received by all sectors of society.
Zhangye Geopark successively built 1 main monument and 4 sub-monuments, completed the boundary survey of the geopark, embedded 172 boundary markers for the park and reserves, and made 76 explanation boards for the park and scenic areas and signs for park location and scenic area tourist map as well as 59 explanation boards for scenic spots. The "Zhangye National Geopark Plan" were compiled and submitted to the municipal government for issue and implementation to carry out overall planning for scientific research and popularization.
Zhangye Geopark focused on the present with a long-term perspective to continuously innovate and improve facilities for scientific research and popularization. More than 5 million yuan was raised to build Geological Science Corridor, Geological Science School, Nine Spring Geological Science Exhibition Hall, Geopark Scientific Research and Popularization Base and other supporting facilities, so that the foundation for scientific research and popularization in the geopark was further consolidated.
Colorful Popular Science Publicity Activities
Zhangye Geopark actively cooperates with relevant departments and units of cities and counties to carefully design and print popular science promotional materials, carry out various forms of popular science publicity activities, and the consciousness of "cherishing the beautiful earth and protecting natural resources" is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
The professors from China University of Geosciences were hired to guide the writing of the commentary and give intensive training for tour guides of the Geological Museum. Except that, the declaration film, publicity video, documentary and popular science film of Zhangye Geopark were produced. Followed by the making of "Science Tour Guide Route Map", the "Science Guidebook”, "Science Tourist Map" and "Series of Popular Science Training Textbooks" of Zhangye Geopark were compiled and published. All of these further enriched the science popularization and education content.
In cooperation with the Gansu Geological Museum, a large-scale dinosaur and paleontology fossil exhibition with the theme of "Danxia in Action to Inherit Chinese Civilization and Promote Geological Cultural Exchanges" was held, along with "Share Sunshine" theme activity and "Remember Martyrs and Overview the Great Rivers and Mountains of the Motherland” patriotic education activity etc. carried out by schools in the city. A series of thematic education activities made the people from all walks of life further strengthen their consciousness of loving their hometown and protecting geoheritages while understand the knowledge of geological science.
On April 22, 2016, the "World Earth Day" and "Zhangye Danxia Cup-Speech Contest for College Students, titled by Zhangye Geopark, was held at Lanzhou Resources & Environment Voc-Tech College. Lanzhou University, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou Resources & Environment Voc-Tech College and its Geological Society took part in the competition.
During "4.22 World Earth Day”, “5.18 International Museum Day”, “6.25 National Land Day" and other theme days, a series of activities, such as the square flash themed "Love our Great Motherland, Care for our Earth Home", the popular science drawing themed "Zhangye Geopark in My Eyes", the publicity activity themed "Cherish our Beautiful Earth and Protect Natural Resources" etc., were carefully planned and implemented, while enquiry points were set up to publicize popular science. After that, More than 50,000 people received Geological science publicity materials and more than 2,000 students left the most beautiful Zhangye Geopark with their brushes.
Geological Research and Study Tourism in the Ascendant
In order to further popularize the geological science of Zhangye Geopark, Zhangye National Geopark Administration established strategic cooperation relations in scientific research and popularization with Lanzhou University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Northwest Normal University, Gansu Geological Survey Institute, and Zhangye Water Exploration Institute under Gansu Bureau of Geological and Mineral Resources, and invested more than 600,000 yuan to build Zhangye National Geopark Science Research Base. Geological experts were also entrusted to prepare the series of popular science books for primary school, secondary school and community editions. Besides, a large number of primary and middle school students were organized to come to Zhangye Geopark for studies tourism and popular science education, as the result of contacting domestic and foreign travel groups and educational institutions.
The practical results were paid attention in the process of popular science education to avoid the popular science courses of the school being too professional and obscure, so it was carried out through cartoon and other acceptable ways according to the age of students. Coincidentally, the science popularization was emphasized in publicizing popular science to cultivates students' interest and promote their initiative in a straightaway and down-to-earth form. Museums and other publicity and education facilities were highlighted the needs and experience of the audience to enhance their interest and participation, while the content design of geoheritages interpretation boards could be understood and accepted by primary and middle school students as far as possible. In a word, the natural and relaxed environment made the educated interested in geoscience knowledge voluntarily and actively.
More than 800 teachers and students of the Demonstrative Comprehensive Practice Base in Zhangye City entered Zhangye Geopark On March 15, 2019. For that, the theme research activity of "Science Popularization Trip for Thousands of Students in 2019", jointly organized by Zhangye National Geopark Administration, Zhangye Municipal Bureau of Education, Zhangye Science Association, Zhangye Demonstrative Comprehensive Practice Base and Zhangye Danxia Tourism Culture Co. Ltd., was officially launched. It provided a "vivid lecture hall" for students to understand the evolution of geological history, the changes in the earth's resources and environment, and the miracle of Qilian Mountains’ uplift.
In recent years, the research and study tourism of Zhangye Geopark has been developed from Zhangye to the country and to the world. More than 360 research tourism teams of universities and colleges, including Tsinghua University, Peking University and Southwest Petroleum University's School of Geoscience and Technology etc., have arrived at colorful Zhangye. It also happens that more than 150 overseas study teams, including the foreign students of Beijing Foreign Studies University, the Chinese Americans and the Indian etc., have walked into Zhangye Geopark. Since 2015, there have been more than 500 research tourism teams and more than 60,000 researchers being received. Until now, Research and study tourism has become a new highlight for the tourism development of Zhangye Geopark.
Geological Science Popularization Training in depth
Seizing the opportunity of declaration the establishment of Global Geopark, Zhangye Geopark took various methods to train different types of people in the scenic spots, such as tourism professionals, tour guides, taxi drivers, school teachers and students, government officials, community residents and geopark partners, in the popularity of geological science knowledge. It had effectively improved the level of geological science knowledge and the responsibility awareness of loving and protecting natural resources to build a better home among the cadres and the masses in the city. At the same time, their consciousness and enthusiasm to participate in Zhangye Geopark development and construction as well as geoheritages protection were fully mobilized. Through further training and guidance, they became truly integrated into the geopark and realized the importance of geoheritages protection, so that they consciously participate in the protection, construction and publicity of the geopark, and proudly told their story of protecting geoheritages and building geopark. All of these provided more effective support for building an international tourism destination and promoting the city’s sustainable economic and social development.
In April 2019, the "2019 Geological Science Training Month" was launched in Zhangye Geopark. More than 400 tourism professional and 1,200 taxi drivers participated in the training in advance. Geological experts were invited to systematically explain to the participants the basic conditions of National Geopark of China and UNESCO Global Geoparks, the genesis of the Colorful Hills and Danxia landform in Zhangye Geopark, the science knowledge of geological environment like preventing geological disaster and protecting geoheritages, the importance of establishing Zhangye Geopark of China, and to deeply analyze the economic value of the establishment and other issues concerned by participants.
Since 2015, 4 UNESCO geopark evaluators and relevant geological experts have been invited to give lectures, including the Lecture Hall themed "Popular Science Serving A Better Life", the special lecture on geological popular science at Mingde School, Kangle Town, Sunan County and others, for training more than 1,000 cadres and the masses on the knowledge of geological popular science.
Four staff members from Zhangye Geopark and three Geological experts from technical service units have been selected to participate in the 4th International Training Course on UNESCO Global Geoparks Management and Development.
Fruitful Research Achievements in Geological Science
Zhangye Geopark has made active efforts to devote itself to carrying out geological research and achieved fruitful results.
Since 2015, a large number of well-known domestic and foreign geological experts have entered Zhangye Geopark to carry out scientific research. In July 2016, Zhangye Geopark cooperated with Gansu Geological Museum to excavate silicified wood. In August 2016, Peng Hua, the former president of the National Danxia Geomorphology Research Association and a professor of the School of Geography and Planning at Sun Yat-sen University, made a study on Danxia landforms in Zhangye Geopark and around Zhangye City, as well as sample collection and data analysis. In July 2017, Wang Chengshan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at the Chinese University of Geosciences, led a team of experts to study the formation of Colorful Hills and the conditions and effects of early Cretaceous sedimentary environment - paleoclimate changes, to investigate the mountain tectonic and the stratum structure of Colorful Hills, and to enter Aohe fault for gathering geological nodules, fault samples and weathering deposits samples on the surface of Colorful Hills. In September 2017, Professor Zhai Yusheng of Chinese University of Geosciences, as well as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with his colleagues Professor Chen Huahui, led the team of Inner Mongolia Geological Survey Institute to conduct a scientific investigation in Zhangye National Geopark, and obtained a number of investigations and research achievements.
Zhangye geopark, in collaboration with professional institutions, compiled and completed the Park Survey and Demarcation Map, the remote sensing images, the Geological Map, the Topographic and Geomorphological Map, the Atlas of Rock Specimens, and the Distribution Map of Geoheritage Resources. A total of 115 geoheritages sites were surveyed, including 8 world-class, 13 national-level, 47 provincial- and sub-provincial-level, 42 sites for scientific research etc.. A total of 1442.64km² of 1:50,000 geoheritages survey and 126.92km² of 1:10,000 key geoheritages survey were investigated, while 10km of 1:1000 geological profiles were measured and 276 rock and ore specimens were collected. Except that, 516 geoheritages image data were obtained and 15 fossils were discovered and gathered. Furthermore, a large number of doctoral and master's thesis and related professional academic monographs have been collected and sorted out.
Scientific research institutions were organized to conducte qualitative evaluation of 115 geoheritages sites, to make quantitative evaluation of 21 world-class and national-level geoheritages sites with analytic hierarchy process, and to carry out international comparative study on three world-class geoheritages sites, including Colorful Hills, Nine-Springs ophiolite suite and Danxia landforms. A comprehensive survey and evaluation report on geoheritage resources was also completed and the project results were reviewed and approved at the International Conference Center of China University of Geosciences(Beijing) on November 24, 2018.
Park cultural heritage list, intangible cultural heritage list, flora and fauna diversity list and series readers, including Geopark and Community Construction, Geopark and Ethnic Culture, Geopark and Women and Children, Geopark and Ecological Environment, Geopark and Scientific Research and Popularization, Geopark and Tourism Industry Developmen, was prepared and completed.
With project funds of 600,000 yuan from the original Gansu Provincial Department of Land and Resources and 200,000 yuan supported by the government of Zhangye City, Zhangye National Geopark Administration, together with the Geological Survey Institution of Gansu Bureau of Geological and Mineral Resources and Gansu Geological Museum set up a project to study the formation of Colorful Hills and Binggou Danxia landforms. The results had been organized and approved by the expert group and submitted to Gansu Science and Technology Press for publication.
Zhangye Geopark is a sister park with Xiangxi National Geopark of Hunan Province, Jiuhuashan National Geopark of Anhui Province, Dunhuang Global Geopark, Yanqing Global Geopark and Pingtan National Geopark of Fujian Province. The cooperation of teaching research and scientific popularization have been established with China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Lanzhou University, Northwest Normal University, Xi’an Geological Survey Center, Geological Survey Institute and Water Exploration Institution of Gansu Bureau of Geological and Mineral Resources, Gansu Geological Museum and other colleges and scientific research institutions. A Seminar on the Construction of Innovative Culture of Geopark Geology in Gansu Province has also been held in Zhangye, followed by a number of scientific research achievements.
More Channels of Popularizing Geological Science
Zhangye Geopark actively cooperated with CCTV and other media to shoot special programs to publicize geological science knowledge. Feature films, shot by CCTV "Geography·China", "Beautiful China Tour", "Charming Chinatown", "Beautiful Scenery in China", "Home in the Far" and other columns in Zhangye, were broadcast on CCTV. The "Colorful Screen", a world-class geoheritage site in Colorful Hills Scenic Area of Zhangye Geopark, boarded the stage of the 2017 Spring Festival Gala. It appeared in the background of the song "Our Nation" for 12 seconds, which caused close attention from the national audience to the geological landform of Zhangye Geopark.
Combined with the establishment of Zhangye Geopark of China, Zhangye Geopark made full use of the communication advantages of new media to actively build online popular science publicity platform.
In April 2019, the self-help interpretation small program for Zhangye Geopark was officially open to the public. “Microblog, WeChat and Multi-client” We Media System of Zhangye Geopark, which focused on the park website, microblog public platform, WeChat public platform and self-help interpretation procedures, had been fully built and put into operation since September 2018.
The system pays attention to the ingenious design of amount of information, visual effects and use functions and highlights professional, friendly, international, and transparent features. It is committed to building an all-round and mulch-angle online platform that integrates publicity, interpretation, popularization and interaction, and reflects the simplicity of the overall design, the universality of the information content and the extension of the use function.
Since the system has been completed and run online, it provides visitors and the public with an important channel to master the real-time dynamics, understand the tourism service information, and choose self-help interpretation services of the geopark, and experts, scholars and student with an exchange platform to carry out scientific research and popularization. It has been an important window for external publicity and promotion of Zhangye Geopark and an important measure and achievement for Zhangye National Geopark Administration to establish Zhangye Geopark of China.
Since 2018, Zhangye Geopark had opened a publicity columns on China Zhnagye Websites and other websits, and had published over 500 pieces of publicity articles on domestic well-known websites and newspapers. The website, WeChat public number, self-help interpretation small program QR code were posted in 1,650 taxis and 270 buses of Zhangy city and counties (or district), so as to mobilize passengers to learn about relevant information of establish Zhangye Geopark and geological science knowledge through scanning the codes. A number of publicity banners for creating the geopark and a number of publicity exhibition stands were hung in areas with concentrated people, such as airports, railway stations, bus stations and key scenic spots, which provided more effective support for promoting the popularization of science in Zhangye Geopark.