In 2012, UNESCO inscribed the Chengjiang Paleontological Site on the World Heritage List, highlighting that “its geological evidence represents the highest standard of fossil preservation and completely documents early Cambrian marine ecosystems, providing testimony to the rapid diversification of life 518 million years ago”. To protect this precious heritage, local authorities suspended, in 2004, mining projects with high commercial value and launched reforestation and environmental recovery programs. In 2017, the Regulation of Yunnan Province on the Protection of the World Heritage Site of Chengjiang Paleontological Site was approved.
The Chengjiang World Natural Heritage Museum opened in 2020 and has become an important platform for scientific research and public outreach. The building, designed in the shape of a large cradle symbolizing the origin of life, houses more than 60 thousand specimens, of which 50 thousand are fossils from Chengjiang. The space also features an immersive 8K hemispherical screen, interactive virtual reality experiences and augmented reality projections that immerse visitors in the oceans of five hundred million years ago as fossils come back to life before their eyes.