A science popularization that combines teaching with travel, and a classroom that combines learning with action

People's Daily | Author Wang Yunna, Song Haoxin, Guan Xuanyue, Cao WenxuanFigure 2: Tourists watch the rocket launch in Qishui Bay, Longlou Town, Wenchang, Hainan. Photographed by Wang Chenglong (People's Vision)Curiosity is human nature, and the guidance and cultivation of scientific interest should start from children, so that they can learn more about scientific knowledge, master scientific methods, and form a large group of young people with the potential of scientistsIn recent years, the social atmosphere of loving and advocating science has become increasingly strong, which has also been reflected in the cultural and tourism consumption market

People's Daily | Author Wang Yunna, Song Haoxin, Guan Xuanyue, Cao Wenxuan

Figure 2: Tourists watch the rocket launch in Qishui Bay, Longlou Town, Wenchang, Hainan. Photographed by Wang Chenglong (People's Vision)

Curiosity is human nature, and the guidance and cultivation of scientific interest should start from children, so that they can learn more about scientific knowledge, master scientific methods, and form a large group of young people with the potential of scientists

In recent years, the social atmosphere of loving and advocating science has become increasingly strong, which has also been reflected in the cultural and tourism consumption market. According to data reports from some travel platforms, during holidays such as May Day, summer, Mid Autumn Festival, and National Day this year, the popularity of booking for parent-child and science popularization tours has continued to rise, gradually becoming a new growth point in the cultural and tourism consumption market.

Hunan Xiangxi World Geopark

Popular in-depth science tours

On one side is a towering cliff, on the other side is a mysterious and quiet peak forest canyon - carefully walking on the glass walkway of the Aizhai village above the Dehang Grand Canyon in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province. Peng Jingyi, a 12-year-old sixth grader, only felt "scared every step". Not far away, she was attracted by the layered rocks on the cliff and couldn't help but stop her steps.

These layered rocks are what we often refer to as strata. After hundreds of millions of years of geological evolution, rocks of different ages have been deposited, washed away by water, and gradually formed curved patterns. The Dehang Grand Canyon is located at the critical point where China's terrain climbs from the third step to the second step, and geological faults have created a magnificent canyon landscape. "said Peng Qiaoqiao, his father beside him.

Peng Qiaoqiao is a senior geological engineer from the Hunan Natural Resources Survey Institute and a geological tourism enthusiast. In recent years, Peng Qiaoqiao often travels to famous mountains and rivers with his family. In addition to enjoying the beautiful scenery, he also popularizes geological knowledge to his family, especially to his children, to make travel more enjoyable and enjoyable. How to stimulate teenagers' curiosity to explore nature and sow the seeds of science? Peng Qiaoqiao has his own opinion: "Through popular science tourism, children can better interact with nature and learn knowledge in the 'walking classroom'

Not long ago, Peng Qiqiao took his family to Dehang Grand Canyon, Aizhai glass walkway and other places located in the core area of Xiangxi World Geopark to explore the long history of the ancient earth and feel the uncanny workmanship of nature.

The Xiangxi World Geopark is located on the eastern edge slope of the Yungui Karst Plateau. It not only includes scenic spots such as the Dejian Grand Canyon and Shibadong Village, but also has two "golden nails" - the Guzhang Stage and the Paibi Stage, which are global Cambrian standard stratigraphic profiles. In 2020, Xiangxi World Geopark was awarded the title of "World Geopark" by UNESCO.

During the holiday, we came to the 'Natural Museum' and opened the 'Geological Textbook', allowing children to experience the charm of geological wonders and learn geological science knowledge firsthand, "Peng Qiaoqiao said.

This is a particularly meaningful trip! It is said that there are many ancient fossils and unique plants hidden in the canyon. We teenagers should also work together to protect the geological treasures of the Grand Canyon, so that more people can understand Mother Earth here. After completing our trip to the Grand Canyon, Peng Jingyi is still full of ideas and has begun to look forward to the next trip.

With its unique natural ecology and mysterious ethnic culture, Xiangxi World Geopark is like a symphony that has been flowing for billions of years, attracting tourists from all over the world. Since the beginning of this year, the major scenic spots of Xiangxi World Geopark have been bustling with people, and science popularization deep tourism has become a new hotspot and trend.

From a pure "sightseeing tour" to a "science popularization themed deep tour", Xiangxi World Geopark has ushered in new opportunities for development. Each major scenic area in the park should prepare articles on geological relics and develop high-quality tourism routes mainly focused on geological tourism.

Some scenic spots have launched geological science popularization courses. For example, the Aizhai Wonder Scenic Area has launched a science popularization course for middle school students. The teacher leads the children to hike on cliff paths, use a magnifying glass to observe rocks, complete rock observation records, and analyze the characteristics of canyon landforms. At the same time, geological research tools are used to measure longitude, latitude, and altitude, and simple maps are drawn based on measurement data to explore the trajectory of geological changes.

Zhang Yuanhai, a senior engineer at the Karst Geology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and an expert in the evaluation of world geological parks, believes that the rise of popular science tourism has enabled people to gain valuable knowledge from geological relics, and at the same time, has made more people realize the importance of protecting geological relics, helping to continue the protection of geological relics. The process of Earth's evolution can provide humans with many inspirations. For example, when observing fossil remains of ancient organisms, tourists can understand the disaster events experienced by ancient organisms, reflect on the current situation, and think about how humans should interact more friendly with the natural environment to achieve harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, "said Zhang Yuanhai.

Sichuan Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Immersive exploration and immersive experience

Sichuan Zigong Dinosaur Museum

The Zigong Dinosaur Museum is a large-scale natural museum built on the "Dashanpu Dinosaur Fossil Group Site". The "museum craze" continues to heat up, and the Zigong Dinosaur Museum, as one of the world's three largest dinosaur site museums, is even more popular. There are 18 activities such as creating immersive interactions within the museum, and the "Night Tour Mode" has also been launched beyond time limits. Searching for hidden "mysterious treasures", meeting dinosaur experts face-to-face, and exploring the magical world of dinosaurs... Since 2015, the Zigong Dinosaur Museum has held an annual group night tour activity called "Crossing the Jurassic - Dinosaur Wonderful Night". This year's event recruited hundreds of parent-child families to carry out different activities targeting different groups and age groups.

How to make fossils "warm", guide teenagers to understand the stories behind exhibits, and achieve the goal of independent exploration and knowledge acquisition? In the ruins museum, parents and children holding notes can be seen everywhere, as if exploring secrets or searching for answers. This is precisely the "Science Examination Detective Dinosaur Event" science popularization experience activity customized for parent-child families, which allows children to jump out of the classroom and acquire scientific knowledge through methods such as information collection, clue investigation, reasoning and analysis, and practical operation. We are moving towards fun, lifestyle, and novelty, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in a journey of exploring ancient and mysterious science popularization, "said Zhou Yukun, deputy director of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum.

There is a 50 meter long and approximately 8 meter high Jurassic stratigraphic profile in the museum, which is also the largest indoor Jurassic stratigraphic profile in China, and it is particularly spectacular. This stratigraphic profile not only reflects the burial environment of dinosaurs, but also includes many typical sedimentary structures and geological phenomena such as sedimentary cycles, rock bedding, strata pinching out, rock nodules, and spherical weathering. On the geological profile, 3D mapping technology is used to transform the geological profile into a deductive curtain, while the staircase next to it transforms into a seat where children can have a science popularization lesson in person.

There are too many unsolved mysteries about dinosaurs. They not only have a long survival time, but also have various forms. With the help of high-tech means and the creation of unique themed interactive activities, the attraction of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum will naturally become stronger. "said Jiang Shan, a member and researcher of the National Committee of Experts on Paleontology and Fossils. As of now, the Zigong Dinosaur Museum has attracted approximately 900000 visitors this year, an increase of 179% compared to the same period last year.

Hainan Wenchang Space Launch Site

Rich Experience in "Aerospace+" Scenarios

3, 2, 1... Launch! "Recently, at a science popularization event at the Wenchang Aerospace Science Popularization Center in Hainan, children burst into cheers when they saw the Long March series carrier rocket model. Children have been fond of rockets since childhood, and we hope they can learn more about rockets here, "tourist Wang Yixuan from Guangdong told reporters. This is the second time their family has come to Wenchang to experience a popular science tour this year.

Due to its unique geographical conditions, Wenchang Space Launch Site is the only low latitude coastal launch site in China and also the first open coastal space launch site in China. Around the theme of aerospace, we have built a bridge between tourism, education, culture, and technology to achieve the integration and development of tourism resources. "Chen Qiwei, Deputy Director of the Wenchang Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports Bureau, introduced that in recent years, Wenchang has continuously enriched its" aerospace+"tourism products, and scenic spots such as the Aerospace Science Popularization Museum and Aerospace Science Popularization Center have been opened one after another.

Not long ago, a space beach parent-child activity with the theme of "Coastal Tour: Chasing Dreams in the World" was held in Wenchang. We have designed various activities such as the Aerospace Science Popularization Classroom and the 'Flying Rocket' Science Experiment, "said Huang Lili, the director of the Wenchang Aerospace Science Popularization Museum. Since the opening of the museum, various science popularization tourism activities have attracted more than 400000 tourists.

Wenchang has a series of natural and cultural landscapes such as coastal areas and coconut forests. Around the 'Aerospace Science Popularization Tour', we have connected scenic resources into lines and surfaces. Chen Qiwei introduced that now, Wenchang's' Aerospace+'cultural and tourism scenes are constantly being updated, enriching tourist experiences while driving local economic development into a fast lane.

It is reported that in Wenchang, on average, over 60000 people flock to Longlou Town, which is less than 5 kilometers away from the launch site, for each space launch. Tourists are enthusiastic about "watching rockets take off from the Coconut Forest Coast", so locals have switched careers and started eating "aerospace tourism meals". The once unknown Longlou Town has grown its regional GDP from 589 million yuan to over 4 billion yuan in 10 years.

In addition to aerospace, Hainan also has unique marine and tropical rainforest resources. With the growth of personalized demand for people's travel purposes, popular science tourism will unleash enormous potential. "Guo Qiang, Dean of the School of Tourism at Hainan University, believes that by integrating local natural, cultural, technological and other pan tourism resources, popular science tourism will evolve into more innovative scenarios, enriching tourist experiences while promoting the development of related industries.

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