Zhoukoudian CaveAbout 25 miles (40km) south of Beijing in the Fangshan District
is the Zhoukoudian Cave, source of the largest collection of Homo
erectus fossils from any single site in the world. The fossils
recovered from Zhoukoudian represent about forty individuals. Most
famous of these remains is a cranium element commonly known as the
'Peking Man', the world's earliest fire-using primitive man who
lived between 200,000 and 700,000 years ago. German anatomist Franz
Weidenreich studied the Peking Man remains in the 1930s and
recognised 12 anatomical features that he believed Peking Man
shared with modern Chinese, a milestone in the study of
paleoanthropology. Visitors to the Zhoukoudian site on Dragon Bone
Hill can view a comprehensive seven-room exhibition of fossils and
artefacts depicting human evolution and the lifestyle of primitive
man. Visitors can also enter the cave where the Peking Man cranium
and other Homo erectus remains were found. Address: Zhoukoudian, Fangshan Opening Time: 9am to 5pm Admission: ¥30 (adults), concessions available |