Imagine cavemen dwelling right here in central Beijing. The Wangfujing Paleolithic Museum is an unusual find. It sits in the basement of the Oriental Plaza Shopping Mall.
Welcome to the Wangfujing Paleolithic Museum. This museum reveals a slice of Beijing’s ancient past. It’s a surprising contrast to the modern mall above.
Back in the mid-90s, a McDonald’s stood here. City planners replaced it with the Oriental Plaza. During excavation, workers found strange rocks. These were arrowheads and tools. Paleolithic human life existed right here.
Work paused for six months. Scientists studied the site. They found fire pits and bones. Capitalism eventually won. The mall was built. A small space was reserved for the relics.
The Wangfujing Paleolithic Museum opened in 2001. Most shoppers pass by unaware. Shopping and cavemen don’t mix. This explains why it is an obscure museum. Its location is excellent, and it has a never-ending stream of potential customers.
The Wangfujing Paleolithic Museum is small. It only takes a few minutes to visit. The entry room has excavation photos. The main hall features a glass floor. Underneath is the base rock with relics. Models depict paleolithic life. Walls show scenes of fire-making. Oxen are killed in other scenes. A corridor shows an animated run through Beijing’s eras. It goes from paleolithic to modern Wangfujing Street. It all happens in two minutes. Context is limited.
Info boards are in Chinese. The introduction and conclusion are in English. Some items have labels. A bonus room covers human evolution. A casual visit only takes fifteen minutes. It is worth it for something quirky. It is a break from shopping.
The introductory board boasts. The Wangfujing Paleolithic Museum is unique. It is the only paleoanthropological site in a downtown capital city. That’s an extra incentive.
The Wanfujing Paleolithic Site equals the Peking Man Site in significance. The Peking Man Site is at Zhoukoudian. The Wanfujing Paleolithic Museum gives information. It tells about the early inhabitation of North China.
The Wanfujing Paleolithic Museum opened in February 2002. It welcomes visitors on weekdays. Its hours are 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
In December 1996, fossils were found. The Oriental Plaza was known as Beijing’s Millenium Masterpiece. Experts from Beijing Universities examined the finds. It was the greatest Paleolithic find since Peking Man in the 1920s. Digging machines exposed an early Chinese encampment. It was on a riverbank 11 to 12 meters down. Scientists went to work immediately.
This location was a temporary encampment 25,000 years ago. Early Chinese people settled here. Traces of wood fires exist. Bone fishing hooks were found. Early Chinese man was a hunter-gatherer and fisherman.
There is no evidence of a permanent village. Bone fragments show a nomadic lifestyle. Mankind followed opportunities.
The Discovery of Peking Man was a revelation. The Wanfujing Paleolithic Site fills a knowledge gap. Excavations spanned 8 months. Over 2000 objects were uncovered. These included pottery shards and stone knives. Animal fossils were also found. The Xing Long Wa Culture could be reconstructed.
Part of the original dig pit is on display. A selection of artifacts explains the situation 25,000 years ago. The Wanfujing Paleolithic Museum is modest. Most artifacts are at universities or the National Museum of History.