The general manager of the museum, Damien Leloup is passionate about archaeology since early childhood. This Reunion native grew up between the Fontainebleau forest in the suburbs of Paris and Antibes on the shores of the Mediterranean. After studying geology, art history and underwater archaeology in Paris, Lille and Marseille, Damien Leloup quickly chose to expand his experience by entering as a volunteer at the Cousteau Society.

His curiosity led him to travel around the world on board the famous Calypso and the Alcyone to destinations like Vietnam, Singapore, South Africa, and Namibia. His most thrilling experience, was working on the wreckage of the Yongola, the smallest of the Australian liners which sank a year before the famous Titanic, without explanation.

A lot of library work and diving aroused more curiosity in a man ready to take on challenges such as the construction China's first environmentally friendly museum.

Varanga: How did the idea to build this park/museum come about?
Damien Leloup: Dr. Burkhard Pohl, after the success of his dinosaur excavation and research museum in the United States (Wyoming Dinosaur Center), heard of a discovery of a fossil by a Chinese peasant right where our museum is today. After an agreement with the Government of Liaoning, he sent me to China to create a joint-venture company, conduct research in the field, build the museum and organize preparations for the launch of this brand new type of attraction in Asia. We are thus the first and only foreigners in China to have permission to excavate, as well as host and mentor visitors.

Was it hard to impose on the environmentally friendly version on the Chinese authorities?
Yes, unfortunately. But the Chinese are very curious, and they lend themselves easily to the calculations that demonstrated without much difficulty why today it is better to use wind and solar energy rather than coal, for example. This was not simple at the outset because they could not understand why it was necessary to spend a little more in the short term and use alternatives when coal is so cheap in China.

Why allow visitors to slip into the skin of a paleontologist?
Simply because we can. Today, research and science are accessible to all. Many of us have always dreamed of being Indiana Jones or finding themselves at the time Jurassic Park without having the means to do so. Today it is possible without having to depend on a university, a research institute or that a guide supervises every single one of your movements.

On a personal level, why have you accepted this challenge?
Precisely because the challenge was so huge, almost impossible even a few years ago. The dose of adventure that my contract promised, did not allow me to give up such a chance! The playful aspect of the project enticed me a lot, touching on many aspects of science, interacting with visitors from all age groups and all nationalities as possible, all this while keeping in mind the possibility of discovering new species.

Interviewed by V.T.