This year from September 9 to 30, The Bookworm will hold its Explore: Science and Ideas Festival. “The bookstore will be turned into a natural history museum,” Festival Director Kadi Hughes explains. There will be a seven-meter triceratops among other things. And best of all, “They will also get to make their own fossils and get dirty,” she adds. Along with creating fossils and prehistoric creatures from molds, aspiring paleontologists will get a chance to have their dinosaur questions answered – while budding historians can reminisce with Beijing Postcards’ collection of vintage photographs. Packed with inspirational talks and movie showings, the festival is sure to captivate inquisitive minds. Read on for exclusive interviews with Beijing transportation history buff Lars Thom, replica specialist Ludovic Blein and dinosaur expert Damien Leloup. And be sure to mark your calendars; you don’t want miss this.
Damien Leloup
Damien Leloup is the Director of the Yizhou Fossil and Geology Park in Liaoning and one of China’s go-to dinosaur experts.
Were you interested in dinosaurs as a kid?
As a kid, my grandfather (a pharmacist and a skilled painter) would take me on summer digs everywhere in France. He would collect fossils and knew where to get them: in fields, hills and mountains. We would also collect rocks together. So naturally, [my interest]in bigger fossils grew. I asked my parents to take me to several museums after that first summer, and I was instantly fascinated by what I saw at the Paris Museum of Natural History.
What led you to become a paleontologist in China?
Even though my field of study was in archaeology, not paleontology, when I met my current boss while travelling across North America in early 2006, he offered me this job. I was to start a new museum, park and quarry: a once in a lifetime opportunity for a joint venture project with the Chinese government. They had not allowed any foreigners to dig for dinosaurs in China since the 1920s. So I said yes, and was in China the very next month.
Tell us about your upcoming event at The Bookworm.
During this year’s event, we are very pleased to show a Triceratops for the first time. So far, it is the biggest dinosaur we have had until this summer. He is almost 8 meters long! Now, we also have a T-Rex and a Quetzalcoatlus that is a little bigger. Plus, we will be displaying lots of smaller ones running around on The Bookworm bookshelves: from a Coelophysis and a baby Maiasaurus to more recent ones like a Smilodon and a Dodo bird.
Which is your favorite dinosaur?
I have many, but if we consider birds part of the dinosaur family, I would say the Dodo and the Aepyornis are my favorites. For more ancient dinosaurs (before the previous massive extinction), I’d say the Diplodocus, because he was a vegetarian!
Do you plan on doing more lectures and exhibits for kids?
Of course, this is one of our favorite pasttimes when we come to Beijing. We visit a lot of international schools where we bring our dinosaur collection, and conduct conferences on dinosaurs in China, as well as geology, paleontology and environmental awareness.
Do you have advice for kids who love dinosaurs and want to become paleontologists?
A very recurrent thing, when we have visitors, especially young ones, is that many, if not all of them, are passionate with dinosaurs and fossils in general. But when they work in the quarry, they soon realize that it takes a little more patience, determination and knowledge than they thought. Sometimes we need to stay hours at a time to find interesting things. So, many of them like dinosaurs, but if they truly want to see if they [want to become]paleontologists, then I suggest they come to our museum, and stay in the quarry for a while to see how much they like digging. If after half an hour of digging they get bored, then it’s probably not for them. But if they want more, I would send them to our library to read more about dinosaurs, and go from there.
Lars Thom
Together with Simon Gjeroe, Lars Thom co-owns Beijing Postcards, a company that specializes in ancient maps and photographs of China. Through these images, they can recount stories of Beijing from the past hundred years. Join the duo at the festival as they present a lecture for kids about the history of transportation in Beijing.
Were you interested in history, China and photography as a kid?
I was not especially interested in photography as a kid, but I have always been very interested in history. The story behind the pictures is definitely what is driving me. I think my mother has a lot to do with this. She always read books out loud to me and my brother, and I think that stimulated my curiosity towards society and history.
To be honest I was not particularly drawn to China as a kid. In Denmark, we have a saying, “If you dig a hole deep enough, then you will get to China.” When I was a kid sometimes we tried, but I guess I was not persistent or focused enough, because we seldom got more than a meter down. I did not get to Beijing before I was 21 and I did not dig; I took the Trans-Siberian Railway. And from then on, I have developed a strong interest in China. But originally, I only came to travel for a couple of months.
Please expand on the topic related to your upcoming lecture: modes of transport in Beijing.
We will be talking about camels, an angry empress that did not like locomotives, long distance donkey lines and much more. We want to create a portrait of how Beijing has developed over the last hundred years and we will use a lot of curious stories to highlight this development (They are all true. I swear!). Just imagine what it was like when a caravan of camels entered the city. The camels would form a long line tied together by a thin thread through the nose, so everything around these slow but steady beasts would come to a standstill when they passed. Actually in the 1970s, you could still see camels in the outskirts of Beijing.
Apart from this, we also want the kids to ask themselves questions: What was it like to be a rickshaw puller? Why aren’t there tramways in Beijing anymore?
Tell us about the on-going exhibit, “Beijing on the Move.”
The exhibition and talk are related. In both, we are trying to explain what has happened to the city of Beijing over the last hundred years. The exhibition will maps and photos from our own collection, and explanations in both Chinese and English – based on interviews with old Beijingers that remember the tramway
and camels.
What is your favorite photograph of Beijing transportation?
I think it must be a photo of a wheelbarrow carrying eight people at a time. Wheelbarrows were used as taxis in many Chinese cities. The history of the wheelbarrow is very long in China, longer than the history of the rickshaw.
Do you have advice for kids who love history and want to learn more?
Well, I think National Geographic has a good series for children. Apart from that, it is important to see the world with an open mind. One of the most important things to understand is that there is not only one historical truth. You can see history from many perspectives. As we develop and change, our idea of history also changes. That is why our slogan at Beijing Postcards is “Living History.”
Ludovic Blein
Replica specialist Ludovic Blein makes prosthetic dinosaurs and models for the Yizhou Fossil and Geology Park in Liaoning.
Were you interested in dinosaurs as a child?
Yes. When I was 10 years old, my mother enlisted me in a fossil and geology club, because I was fascinated by rocks and I was digging everywhere I could. So, instead of digging holes in our backyard, she thought it would be more efficient to do it with enthusiasts and professionals. I learned a lot more about dinosaurs than any other kids my age.
Tell us about your upcoming workshop at the Explore Fest.
I will be showing kids how to make dinosaur casts. This is my favorite thing (apart from looking for fossils in the quarry). I will bring lots of mold to choose from, and with these siliconed fossil molds, they will make, in less than an hour, a beautiful fossil cast and will get to take it back home with them.
Which is your favorite dinosaur?
The Tarascosaurus, because it is a French T-Rex. I find that cool.
Do you have advice for kids who love dinosaurs and want to become paleontologists?
It helped me a lot to be part of a fossil club when I was a kid. My advice would be to do that first, and then get lots of practice in the field.
The Bookworm Science & Ideas Explore Festival: Kids Program
Sat, Sep 10
10am
Fossil Making Workshop
For ages 5 and up. Ludovic Blein teaches little paleontologists how to make fossils, dinosaur claws and prehistoric creatures from molds. Be prepared for your little ones to get dirty! RMB 80
11am
Fossil Making Workshop
For ages 5 and up. Ludovic Blein teaches little paleontologists how to make fossils, dinosaur claws and prehistoric creatures from molds. Be prepared for your little ones to get dirty! RMB 80
2pm
Triceratops, Pterosaurs and Dodos, Oh My! Interactive Dinosaur Talk
For ages 7 and up. Damien Leloup will reveal some of his fossil treasures from his collection of the Yizhou Fossil and Geology Park in Liaoning, and answer dinosaur questions. RMB 50
Sat, Sep 17
11am
Hooves, Wheels, Tracks: Beijing on the Move Talk
For ages 9 and up. Explore historical Beijing’s transportation through old photographs with Beijing Postcards. RMB 50
Tickets can be purchased at The Bookworm. For a full list of events, see Events (p14) or visit www.bookwormfestival.com/explore.
The Bookworm
Courtyard 4, Sanlitun Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6503 2050)
This article is excerpted from beijingkids September 2011 issue. View it in PDF form here or contact distribution@beijing-kids.com to find out where you can pick up your free copy.
