LIFE> Odds and Ends
Quiet watchman of 'Dinosaur Mountain'
By Hu Yongqi
Updated: 2009-04-16 10:29

For 16 years, Fan Yongqing and other farmers in Central China's Henan province have been engaged in a self-appointed mission: guarding a precious national treasure - dinosaur egg fossils.

They have persisted in their efforts despite the hardships involved in patrolling the mountain, the temptation of money and intimidation.

Quiet watchman of 'Dinosaur Mountain'

It was in the spring of 1993 that Fan chanced upon an oblong rock in the heart of Mount Funiu in Xixia county. Some dinosaur experts later confirmed it was the fossilized egg of the Macroelongatoolithus xixiaensis, a rare type of dinosaur that might have lived 65.5 million to 68.5 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period.

Since then, this farmer of Liuying village has taken upon himself the responsibility of protecting the fossils on what locals call Dinosaur Mountain.

"The fossils are our precious heritage. We are responsible for leaving them intact for future generations," says Fan, 69. He patrols the mountain throughout the day and spends the night in a makeshift shed, jumping out of bed to check any unusual sound.

Soon after the fossils were found in 1993, a foreign businessman arrived at the mountain, with a big sum of money for an egg fossil. Fan admits that he was tempted at first, but the thought of future generations stopped him.

More generous "customers" showed up last July. One of them offered Fan 200,000 yuan ($32,000). This time, Fan didn't hesitate to call the police.

While some neighbors sneered at him, Fan insists on living by his conscience. "I've lived a simple life. I won't live simply for money," he says.

In Sept 2007, Fan stopped four young men from digging up the fossils. They began beating him, but Fan stood firm, saying: "Over my dead body!" Fortunately, other villagers hurried to the site and drove the four away.

Experts have found more than 150,000 dinosaur egg fossils in Xixia county. Fan says he has a "treasure map" in his mind and knows each dinosaur egg in the mountain.

"I won't take the 'treasure map' into the tomb with me. I'll give it to experts on the day the government starts developing the Dinosaur Mountain," he says.

Fan and his wife are joined by their five children and other villagers in their patrols. Thanks to their efforts, local police have cracked three cases of fossil-digging and confiscated 17 dinosaur eggs.