Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site

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Process of discover

The early finds were no more than three teeth but these were to be the cause of great interest as they clearly came from a species of man that had not been found before and they were the first evidence of early human habitation in China during the Palaeolithic Age.
On December 2nd 1929 a complete skullcap was discovered and this proved the theory that was derived from the earlier finds of the teeth. This was in fact the proof of existence of a humanoid species dating from between 700,000 and 200,000 years ago.
This initial find was to lead to other discoveries of skeletal remains and from these it was possible to deduce that what became known to the World as Man or Sinanthropus pekinensis was in fact in bodily form virtually identical to modern man.
Close by the Man site but further up the mountainside three complete adult skulls were discovered. These have been attributed to what is now called Upper Cave Man. Here the important finds included bone needles, animal teeth that had been used as adornment and remains of necklaces. This shows these early people had the ability to fashion clothes from skins and not only made these to keep themselves warm but also made them to look attractive. Archaeologists have determined that the Upper Cave people lived some 18,000 years ago.
Unfortunately, when the Japanese invaded China in 1937, excavation at the Man site was suspended. In 1947 all the fossils disappeared and it was thought that an attempt was made to smuggle them to America, sadly they have never been traced. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, the work has been renewed and finds now include six intact skulls, parts of ten arm and other bones, twelve broken facial bones, fifteen lower mandibles and 157 teeth. In all these represent over 40 individuals of varying ages and sex.
The historical and cultural value of the Zhoukoudian site has been acknowledged by its listing as a World Heritage Site in December 1987 at the eleventh session of UNESCO.

Zhoukoudian Site Museum

• Complementing the outdoor site is the excellent Zhoukoudian Site Museum, located nearby. This modern facility is essential for understanding the full scope of the discoveries. It houses:
  Detailed Casts: High-quality replicas of the crucial Peking Man skulls and other significant fossils.
  Rich Artifact Collection: A vast array of stone tools, animal fossils (giant hyenas, deer, sabre-toothed cats!), and evidence of ancient fauna that shared the environment.
  Interactive Exhibits & Dioramas: Engaging displays that vividly reconstruct the lives of Peking Man, their hunting techniques, tool-making skills, and the ancient landscape.
  Broader Context: Exhibits also cover later human occupation at Zhoukoudian, including Upper Cave Man (Homo sapiens) from around 30,000 years ago, showcasing the long span of human habitation here.
  

Scientific significance

• In the history of palaeoanthropology, the discovery of Man was not the first one of its kind; however, the discovery established a definite status of this kind in the human evolutionary history. In 1891-92, a Dutch scientist, Dubois (1858-1940), found a hominid fossil of an ancient man at Java, Indonesia. A skullcap, a broken mandible, three teeth, and a large femur were unearthed. In 1894, Dubois named the specimens Pithecanthropus erectus, that is, erected ape-man. Dubois took the specimens to Holland in 1895 and it was immediately known all over the world. Heated debate arose: one party claimed the fossil to be of human, although they are crude and robust, while Dubois and his followers argued that the fossil occupies the stage of transitional form between ape and man. Someone argued that the fossils were of extinct large long-armed ape, or orangutan. Others claimed the fossils are of an idiot or abnormal man.
  As another representative of ape man, Man came on stage under such historical background. However, the fate of findings concerning Man appeared as irrefutable proof. Homo erectus is different from the ape in physical characters and cranial capacity. He was able to engage in creative behavior, develop culture, control fire, and hunt big animals. The discovery of Man enabled one to solve the long-lasting polemics that had continued since the discovery of Java man in the 19th century and proved that Homo erectus evolved from the ape. It has established the erect man stage which occupies the intermediate stage in human evolution. The discovery brought a sudden progress in the theory of human origin and evolution. Man stands as an everlasting monument in the history of paleoanthropological research.
  Until today, Man holds as ever a realistic and scientific value. The Man Site is representing the most comprehensively and systematically studied site of Homo erectus. The Man Site also provides the more precise scientific data for the study of the evolution, behavior, and paleoenvironment of Homo erectus than contemporary African and European sites.