A 180 million-year-old Lufengosaur fossil from the Jurassic Age unearthed from Yunnan province's Lufeng prefecture last year is now in Hong Kong on permanent display to mark the first major cultural exchange between the two places.

The fossil, which was donated to Hong Kong by the Yunnan provincial government, will be open to public viewing free of charge at the Hong Kong Science Museum from today to April 29 next year. Afterward, it will be relocated to the Life Sciences Hall of the museum for permanent display.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang and guests from the Yunnan authorities officiated yesterday at the opening ceremony of the exhibition cum "Colourful Yunnan - Enchanting Xiong Prefecture in Hong Kong" activities.

In his address at the ceremony, Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-shing said that Lufengosaurus are among the oldest dinosaurs found, and they are the first species of dinosaurs excavated, conserved, studied and mounted in China, thus giving them particular importance in both scientific and historical aspects.

"It is worth noting that after careful selection by the Yunnan government, the Lufengosaurus fossil donated to us is the best conserved," he remarked. "It is also the first time that a Lufengosaurus fossil is gifted to a place outside the mainland."

He added that the exhibition in Hong Kong will arouse the interest of local people, especially the young people, in the study of paleontology, which will contribute to scientific research in China.

Luofengosaur was a prosauropod that lived in the Early Jurassic Age some 180 million years ago. It had a small head, a long neck and short forelimbs. The strong hind legs enabled it to stand upright and walk. The large tail helped it balance the body when running. The dinosaur was herbivorous.

The Lufengosaurus presented to Hong Kong was unearthed in June 2007. Measuring 7.8 m long and 2.2 m tall, the fossil skeleton is preserved in excellent condition. With the exception of the skull and parts of the tailbone which are replicas, the skeleton is almost entirely made up of more than 300 pieces of genuine bone.

(HK Edition 10/24/2008 page1)