Discover Zigong: Salt History, Lanterns and Dinosaurs

Zigong combines a history of more than 2,000 years of deep-well salt production with lantern culture and dinosaur discoveries. The city is considered one of the world’s oldest cities with a deep-well salt tradition. This offers a range of themes to consider when planning your trip: salt history, the development of lantern art and paleontology each provide a distinct focus. If you’re looking for hotels in Zigong, you can first consider which of these themes interests you most. This helps you view the destination in terms of what matters most for your stay.

The History of Deep-Well Salt Production in Zigong

Zigong’s long tradition of deep-well salt production can be explored through a variety of places and perspectives. Shenhai Well is one of the most significant geological sites in the UNESCO Global Geopark of Zigong. Remnants of shaft sinking, brine extraction and salt production have been preserved there. These activities illustrate different aspects of salt production, from sinking a shaft to producing salt.

The Zigong Salt Industry History Museum is located in the center of Zigong and was built in 1959. It includes West Qin Hall and its ancillary buildings; West Qin Hall is protected as a nationally important cultural heritage site. The permanent exhibition covers the history of deep-well salt production technology. The preserved remains at Shenhai Well and the technological development explored in the museum thus offer distinct historical perspectives.

Lantern Culture and the Annual Festival

The Chinese Lantern Museum is China’s only professional museum devoted to lantern culture; it preserves and promotes this tradition. Its permanent exhibitions include galleries on the history of Chinese lantern culture, the history of the Zigong Lantern Festival, Chinese lanterns as intangible cultural heritage, Zigong lantern-making techniques and masterpieces of lantern art. The subjects range from historical development and cultural heritage to craftsmanship and works of art.

The Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival offers a different focus: every year, it transforms the city with colorful lantern displays and cultural celebrations. At the same time, it is rooted in a centuries-old tradition. The museum and the festival offer two distinct ways to explore lanterns: the museum focuses on permanent exhibition themes, while the festival takes place annually. As the specific program may vary, check the event dates before your trip.

Dinosaurs and Fossils

The Zigong Dinosaur Museum offers a focus on natural history. It is China’s first specialized dinosaur museum and is one of the world’s three most important dinosaur fossil site museums. Its fossil specimens include nearly all known dinosaur species from the Jurassic period, around 205 to 135 million years ago. The collection therefore spans a different time scale from Zigong’s more than 2,000-year-old deep-well salt tradition. If you’re particularly interested in paleontology, this museum provides a distinct way to explore the cultural and historical themes represented in the city.

The Fuxi River Historical and Cultural Corridor

The Fuxi River Historical and Cultural Corridor adds a river-focused perspective to the museum themes. It runs along the Fuxi River section between Ziliujing Datong Bridge and Shuiyaju Bridge in Zigong. The named bridges provide a specific geographical reference for the corridor, whose focus is historical and cultural. This adds another aspect of the city to its salt, lantern and dinosaur themes.

Different Historical Periods

The dates associated with Zigong’s themes refer to different time scales: the deep-well salt tradition dates back more than 2,000 years, the Zigong Salt Industry History Museum was built in 1959, and the dinosaur fossils come from the Jurassic period, around 205 to 135 million years ago. These dates refer to a tradition, a building and a geological era. Together, they show that the destination’s historical themes cannot be reduced to a single timeline.

Discover more destinations: Neijiang, Ziyang, Nanchong, Deyang, Liangshan, Chengdu, Guangyuan, Suining

For the broader travel overview: Sichuan.