YANTAI: When we arrived at the Dinosaur Museum of Zhucheng - also known as "Dinosaur City" - in East China's Shandong Province, the sky was drizzling.

Walking into the unique exhibition hall, we encountered an enormous skeleton of Hadrosaur - 16.6 meters long and 9.1 meters tall, which is believed to be the largest in the world.

The moment we saw the life-size fossil dinosaur, we were impressed by its magnitude. We could not help visualizing a prehistoric world dominated by the giants.

The Dinosaur Museum of Zhucheng was built in 1997 and covers 5,400 square meters. This unique museum is located in the picturesque dinosaur park.

"The dinosaur fossil excavated in Zhucheng is believed to be the largest known Hadrosaur in the world," said Li Dunjing, former curator of the museum. Hundreds of individual fossils displayed in the exhibition hall could be set up into another complete dinosaur skeleton. Eleven dinosaur eggs of different shapes are also on show in the sample hall.

Zhucheng is one of the rarest sites in the world where dinosaur fossils and eggs were found, Li said. Fossils of diverse species, including tiny Psittacosaurus, ferocious Tyrannosaurus and tall Hadrosaur, were discovered here.

Until now, about 20 fossil sites have been discovered around Zhucheng, the most bountiful being "Dinosaur Bone Gully", which is in the southern part of the city.

Since 1964, more than 10 excavations have been held around Zhucheng with a total output of 50 tons of fossils. Four complete skeletons have been set up in Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan and Zhucheng.

The discoveries in Zhucheng are of great importance to the study of the origin of species, the evolution of living things and the changes of the geological environment.

Last year, Li Fenglin, a professor with China University of Geosciences, with scientists from the United States and Japan, discovered a Psittacosaurus skeleton, about 40 centimeters long.

Dinosaurs ruled the earth for some 140 million years, finally becoming extinct 65 million years ago. It is widely believed that dinosaurs died from movements of the earth and changes of climate. Their sudden extinction remains a scientific puzzle. However, "Dinosaur City" gives scientists a better chance of solving such mysteries.