"Tainan City Zuojhen Fossil Park is the only fossil museum in Taiwan that exists as a unique combination of school and educational museum by integrating the former Tsai-liao Fossil Museum, the Natural History Educational Hall and Guangrong Elementary School. By integrating science, archeology, promotion of education and recreational tourism, the Fossil Park has presented itself as “The home of fossils” with its unique natural and cultural context, thereby transforming Zuozhen District into an important site for fossil studies.
Featured at the Fossil Park are collections of land and sea animals such as mammoth, stegodon, Formosa skia deer, crocodile, shellfish and so forth, with a rich collection of land vertebrae fossils that have been unearthed in the region as the park’s primary exhibits. Coupled with other exhibits such as Zuozhen Man skull, restored skeleton of Hayasaka Rhino and so forth, the Fossil Park has become an irreplaceable treasure trove of fossils in Taiwan. Today, Zuojhen Fossil Park has evolved from one single hall to having five major exhibition halls.
Housed at the Natural History Education Hall is the simulated longitudinal section of the rock strata of Zuojhen, where various interactive activities such as fossil excavation, fossil observation on a simulated riverbed are available to visitors. The History Hall offers an introduction to Hsin-Hua Hill, along with the original Sinckan Manuscripts and other relics of the Siraya tribe. Visitors will also get to know the tale of Mr. Chen Chun-mu – the “Fossil Grandpa of Taiwan” and his contributions in a lifetime of fossil excavation. The Evolution Hall showcases the process and struggles of different marine organisms as they move onto land, and the dinosaurs that used to dominate the earth are situated in the atrium. The mammals emerged after the extinction of these terrible lizards and witnessed the rise and fall of lives on Earth. The Fossil Hall features the interactive AR (augmented reality) of the past and present of Tsai-liao River that will help visitors to better understand the origins of fossils that have been unearthed in the region and the full skeleton of the Hayasaka rhino is the central attraction of the Hall. The Exploration Hall is for visitors who wish to find out more about the mystery of Zuozhen Man and for those wondering how experts excavate, repair and restore fossils, the fossil lab is where the actions take place. In the magic coloring classroom, visitors can even play with the animals that once roamed in the region of Tsai-liao river they have colored and feed them through interactive controls."
