ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A collection of fossils returned from overseas has been displayed at a hotel in the city of Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Monday.

The nine exhibits include fossils of Beibeilong sinensis, Gansu tortoise, confuciusornis, a smilodon skull, and manchurochelys, with huge value to scientific research according to fossil experts.

The Beibeilong sinensis fossil, a kind of dinosaur egg excavated in Henan in 1993, attracted the most attention among visitors. Measuring 118 cm long, it dates back at least 86 million years and was overseas for more than 20 years.

In 2013, the fossil was returned to China and displayed in the Henan Geological Museum.

Since the fossil protection regulation went into effect in 2011, more than 5,000 fossils taken overseas have been returned to China, according to Wang Lixia, deputy director of the state expert committee on paleontology and fossils.

After the display in the Yellow River Yingbin Grand Hotel, the fossils will be exhibited in Henan Geological Museum from Sept. 21 to the end of November