China Summerschool

Head: PD Dr. Olaf Lenz

Time and Location: The event takes place annually from September / October (14 days + 2 days for return flights) in the Sino-German Paleontology Museum in Yixian, Liaoning, China.

Application: Interested parties must contact one of the contact persons in advance by email. A binding allocation of seats takes place at the preliminary meeting in April.

Summary

Also referred to as “Mesozoic Pompeii” due to their abundance of fossils, the sediments of the Jehol group from the Lower Cretaceous in northeastern China are one of the world's most important fossil deposits. The deposits provide a unique insight into the so-called Jehol biota and its paleoecology. In addition to numerous finds of fossil plants, invertebrates and vertebrates terrestrial and limnic communities, the localities are famous for the findings of feathered dinosaurs, formerly birds, Mesozoic mammals and the earliest flowering plants.

As part of the September 2019 event, organized in collaboration with the Senckenberg Society for Natural Sciences in Frankfurt and Jilin University in Changchun, geoscientists should have the opportunity, with Chinese students, to study the geology, paleobiodiversity and palaeoecology of the Jehol group , in particular the Yixian formation, to experience on the spot itself. By working together with Chinese students, German students become acquainted with a culturally different way of life, thus acquiring intercultural skills and establishing international contacts for their future.

The program at the Sino-German Paleontology Museum in Yixian includes daily lectures by renowned German and Chinese lecturers, for example on regional geology, terrestrial ecosystems and the development of paleoclimate. At an excavation site in the Yixian Formation on the museum grounds, the students also look for fossils of vertebrates, insects and plants during daily excavations and conduct sedimentological profile surveys. The program also includes learning the preparation and casting techniques of fossils. The summer school will be rounded off with two excursions to palaeontological sites (Daohugou, Beipiao) and a cultural program, including a visit to the Great Wall of China.

• Food and Beverage:
  • Modern wooden cabins are available for accommodation at the Sino-German Paleontology Museum in Yixian. There is a full board.
• Number of participants:
  • The participation of about 16 students (8 students each from Germany and China) is planned.
• Costs:
  • The cost per participant amounts to about 1200 € (for visa, flights, accommodation and meals).
• Proof of achievement:
  • Each student prepares a report. Can be counted: 3 CP.