Consider this: Roughly 50 kilometers southwest of Beijing lies a place called Zhoukoudian. The famous Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site is home to \u4e1c\u5761\u6d1e.
\u4e1c\u5761\u6d1e is part of a cave system that has revealed much about our ancestors. This cave system has yielded important archaeological discoveries. One of the first specimens of Homo erectus, Peking Man, was found here. Bones of the giant short-faced hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris were also discovered.
Peking Man chose \u4e1c\u5761\u6d1e as his residence for good reason. The limestone caves and crevices offered an excellent habitat. Dragon Bone Hill stands east of the Zhoukoudian Railway Station. The northern face of this hill is the site of the caves occupied by Peking Man. Four early residential sites have been discovered on this hill.
Dating the Peking Man’s occupancy at \u4e1c\u5761\u6d1e has been challenging. Interpretations of the evidence vary widely. Some suggest Peking Man lived here 700000 to 200000 years ago. Others propose 670000 to 470000 years ago. Still others say no earlier than 530000 years ago.
Johan Gunnar Andersson first discovered the Peking Man Site in 1921. Otto Zdansky first excavated it in 1921 and 1923. He unearthed two human teeth. Davidson Black later identified these teeth as belonging to a previously unknown species. Extensive excavations followed. Fissures in the limestone yielded remains of about 45 individuals. Animal remains plus stone flake and chopping tools were also found.
The oldest animal remains date back 690000 years. Tools are as old as 670000 years. Another authority dates the tools found to no earlier than 530000 years ago. During the Upper Palaeolithic the site was re-occupied. Remains of Homo sapiens along with their stone and bone tools have been recovered from the Upper Cave.
The cave at Site No. 1 originally measured 140 meters from east to west. Its width was irregular. It reached a height of more than 40 meters. The cave was first occupied about 500000 years ago. Peking Man maintained this residence for a quarter of a million years.
Bones discovered in the cave’s north face include skulls and fragments. Facial bones, mandibles and teeth were also found. Sections of femur, shinbone and upper arm bone completed the finds. One clavicle and one wrist bone belonged to more than 40 individuals. These individuals varied in age and sex.
In addition 118 animal fossils have been discovered in the cave on the north face. Original Peking Man fossil remains disappeared during World War II. They have never been recovered except for five teeth. One upper arm bone and one leg bone were saved.
\u4e1c\u5761\u6d1e and the surrounding Zhoukoudian site offer invaluable insights. They shed light on human evolution and early human life. The site continues to be a place of scientific discovery and historical significance.
The Cenozoic Research Laboratory was established in 1928. Chinese geologists assisted. The lab researched fossils unearthed at \u4e1c\u5761\u6d1e. Conditions at the site were primitive. Scientists rode mules to the excavation. They stayed at caravansaries. Pei Wenzhong unearthed the first skullcap in 1929. He worked in a 40-meter crevasse. He used a hammer in one hand and a candle in the other.
Excavations stopped in 1937 because of the Japanese invasion. Reports say Japanese soldiers tortured and murdered workers at the site. Three were bayoneted to death. One was forced to pull a rickshaw. He died of starvation.
The bulk of the finds were lost in 1941. They disappeared while being transported to safety. Fortunately Franz Weidenreich had made copies of the fossils. This preserved their physical characteristics.
Excavation work began again in 1949. New Peking Man fossils were unearthed. These included teeth and fragments of thigh and shin bone. In 1950 a third premolar was discovered. It was in material sent to Uppsala in the 1920s.