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Dinosaur eggs from the southern Province of Guangdong, China first began to appear in the world marketplace in early 1990. They fetched handsome prices from collectors worldwide. News spread via trade routes in China and by 1992 the farmers in Henan Province realized the financial benefits of farming eggs.Rock collectors and dealers came from Guangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Guilin and other places in China to buy these "rock eggs" or "golden eggs". Some claimed had medicinal value. Some say the farmers were paid a dollar a piece, others say it was more. Whatever the price, it was much more than the farmers were paid for their crops and the rush to collect these ancient "golden eggs" was on. In early 1993 some Geologists visited the site and proclaimed that they were, in fact, dinosaur eggs. Minerals and Geology of China, a famous newspaper published by the Ministry of Minerals and Geology, reported the new find and supported the excavation. It said the digging was a new and effective way for the local people to earn money. The local newspapers and television carried the same theme.Nanyang City, a large city in Henan Province had long been a center of commerce and trade...famous for jade carvings and other Chinese hand crafts. Trade in dinosaur eggs was soon controlled almost completely by two geological companies in Nanyang. All their family members provided storage for the eggs dug by the farmers and Nanyang City became a warehouse of dinosaur eggs.The news spread quickly around the world. More rock collectors and dealers came to buy eggs. Several thousands of eggs were exported to Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe and the United States. The mass digging without organization or scientific supervision continued for 5 months. The situation was criticized by more and more scientists around the world. The government decided to shut down in June of 1993. |
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