On 27 June, 2011, Zhu Fei, vice governor of Yunnan Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture together with directors of the prefectural museums signed a cooperative agreement with BMNH inBeijing. Director Meng Qingjin and Secretary Li Jianwen attended the signing ceremony. Deputy Director Yang Jingcheng on behalf of BMNH and Director Zhong Shimin on behalf of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture Museum signed the Agreement.

Making it a primary task to enrich its collections in recent years, BMNH has cooperated extensively with important domestic fossil quarries and natural reserves and established research and educational bases. The cooperative base in Yunnan is the fourth one BMNH built with local institutions, the other three bases being in Liaoning,TibetandHenan.

Yunnan Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture is one of the cradlelands of Homo sapiens and the renowned Homo erectus yuanmouensis and Ramapithecus were found in the prefecture. The dinosaurs unearthed in Lufeng County of Chuxiong are internationally well known and the prefecture also boasts a rich trove of natural resources and extremely rare and precious plant and animal species. The cooperation between BMNH and CYAP will further bolster the paleontological and paleoanthropological studies in Yuannan and create a platform for BMNH tocaryout research and educational activities.