Achieving accurate chronostratigraphical correlation between late Cambrian sections in North China and sections from elsewhere in the world has been a long‐standing problem, largely owing to a lack of preserved or identified biostratigraphical marker fauna. Here, we examine trilobite occurrences, the sequence of facies and lithological change, and carbon and oxygen isotopes from the carbonate sequence of the Jiulongshan section, Shandong Province. Whereas regionally comparable sections are commonly unconformable coincident with the Kushan–Chaumitien formation boundary, we report the Steptoean Positive Isotopic Carbon Excursion (SPICE) event from an uninterrupted section recording a regressive–transgressive palaeoenvironmental fluctuation. Further, we place the onset and rise of the SPICE event within a high‐resolution, trilobite biostratigraphical framework, reporting, for the first time, Fenghuangella laevis from Shandong Province. Although correlating trilobite biostratigraphical relationships from China to the rest of the world has long been burdened by the endemism of Chinese taxa, the base of the Fenghuangella biozone corresponds with the base of the globally recognized Glyptagnostus reticulatus biozone, thus better demarcating the base of the Paibian Stage in North China.

Shandong Province in China is rich in paleontological fossils and has a long history of fossil research. However, research on the distribution characteristics and potential factors of discovered fossil sites in Shandong Province is limited and insufficient, making it difficult to comprehensively plan for the protection and utilization of fossil sites in Shandong Province. The study constructs a basic geographical information system (GIS) database with 133 discovered fossil sites and geological and socio-economic data of Shandong Province and studies fossil sites’ spatial distribution characteristics and the spatial relationship with potential factors at a regional scale. The results are as follows: (1) The fossil sites in Shandong Province are concentrated in the mountainous area of central Shandong and the hilly area of the Shandong Peninsula, with significant uneven distribution characteristics, including two agglomeration areas and seven sub-agglomeration areas. (2) Natural geographical conditions, such as topography, paleogeography, and stratigraphy, play a positive role in the distribution of fossil sites, and there are apparent concentrations in the following areas: at an altitude greater than 100 m; the Lower Paleozoic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks; and the active areas of paleo-tectonics. (3) A certain degree of negative correlation exists between socio-economic conditions, such as roads and population density, and the number of fossil sites, and a positive correlation exists between disposable personal income and those fossil sites. The operational procedure presented here is a simple, objective, applicable method that can enhance our understanding of the spatial distribution patterns and influencing factors of the discovered fossil sites of Shandong Province and support more effective and appropriate planning for paleontological heritage conservation.

In order to provide some reference suggestions for promoting the high-quality development of museums in prefecture-level cities and enhancing the regional cultural competitiveness based on an in-depth understanding of the evolutionary characteristics and the influence mechanism of spatial differentiation during the development of museums, 54 museums in Jining (China) were taken as the research object. The study analysed the spatial distribution characteristics of museums in each county and district of Jining and the main influencing factors were explored. The results showed that: (1) museums in Jining tend to be cohesively distributed, mainly concentrated in the central to the northern part of Jining, followed by the north-western part, with a minor distribution in the eastern and southern parts, and the distribution of museums was uneven within Jining; (2) in terms of spatial distribution, museums in Jining have formed a major aggregation area of Qufu-Yanzhou-Rencheng, as well as a sub-aggregation area, centred on Liangshan, and Weishan, Yutai, and other places in southern Jining, although there were museums distributed, compared to the overall distribution, they were fewer in number, smaller in scope, and less evident in aggregation. (3) In terms of influencing factors, the distribution pattern of museums in Jining was related to resource endowment, highway accessibility, and water distribution, i.e., the distribution of museums was more frequent in areas with more natural and historical resources, a developed highway network, and areas near rivers or lakes. The socio-economic situation, the degree of tourism development, and the degree of population density also affected the layout of museums to a certain extent.