Good News! Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark Establishes Sister Ties with Another Geopark

From 18 to 19 July 2023, Ju Chengxiang, Director General of Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark Administrative Bureau, and his delegation visited Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark to exchange experience and establish sister geopark ties with it.

During the two days, Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark conducted exchanges and discussions with Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark on geopark construction and development, evaluation and inspection, geological site conservation, scientific research and science popularisation, tourism publicity and promotion, etc. Meanwhile, it also visited the Zigong Dinosaur Museum, Salt Industry History Museum, and other scenic areas of Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark to learn their construction and management experience in, for example, building a signage system, providing tourism service facilities and resource display.

On the afternoon of 18 July, the Ceremony for Sistership of Zigong & Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark was held. Wang Wenwei, Director of the Administrator Centre of Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark, and Han Dong, Deputy Director General of Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark Administrative Bureau signed a sister geopark cooperation agreement on behalf of the two geoparks. As per the agreement, the two sides will carry out exchanges and cooperation in geopark management, geological site and environmental conservation, science popularisation, marketing, personnel training, and other aspects to promote the construction and development of the geoparks.

Introduction to Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark

Located in Mengyin County and Pingyi County, Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark covers 14 townships and towns with a total population of about 680,000. It is composed of the Mengshan georegion, Diamond georegion, Menglianggu georegion, Yunmeng lake georegion and Daigu georegion, spanning a total area of 1,804 square kilometres. It is located on the Luxi block west of the Yishu fault zone. The oldest strata and the Archean large-scale intrusive rock series have truly recorded the history of early crust formation and evolution in northern China. The "money rock" formed by hydrothermal alteration is unique. There is China's earliest kimberlite diamond raw ore which has already produced 1.8 million carat diamonds. It is also the place where the Daigu landform was named, with a group of typical castle-shaped landforms. In addition, the natural landscape here is fascinating, with peaks rising into the sky, mountains covered in cloud and fog, gurgling streams and magnificent waterfalls. It is also the birthplace of Chinese civilisation and the centre of Dongyi culture and integrates Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. In April 2019, the Executive Board of UNESCO passed a resolution, officially approving it as a UNESCO Global Geopark.