Int’l forum held for 40th birthday of Chengjiang biota

An international academic forum was held in central Yunnan’s Yuxi city from July 2 to 6, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the Chengjiang biota.

An international academic forum is held for 40th anniversary of the Chengjiang biota.

The forum was attended by over 130 international academicians from China, the UK, the U.S., South Korea, Switzerland and others. They summarized the achievements of cooperation in the biota field in recent years, hoping for more international cooperation in biota studies.

The international academicians also discussed the new progress made by global scholars in studying the evolution of early Cambrian life forms, including their new breakthroughs in technologies and methods for their studies.

 

Attendees at the international academic forum

Attendees discuss at the international academic forum for the 40th anniversary of the Chengjiang biota. 

Recalling his involvement in studying the Chengjiang biota, David Siveter, a professor at the University of Leicester, said the Chengjiang biota shows the origin of life, and its value is shared by the whole world. David suggested more international cooperation in studying biota for new results.

Following Chinese paleontologist Hou Xianguang’s discovery of the Chengjiang biota in 1974, more than 300 species in 20 categories have been found in the area, making Chengjiang the world's largest collection of early Cambrian life forms. The Chengjiang fossil site was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2012 and it is the first and only fossil World Heritage site in China and Asia as well.

 

Attendees at the international academic forum for the 40th anniversary of the Chengjiang biota

Posters at the international academic forum 

Source: Yunnan Daily, China Daily and China News Service; Trans-editing by Wang Shixue and Li Junhao