Panorama:Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

Peking Man Cave was a limestone cave into which, about half a million years ago, Peking Man came to live intermittently until 200,000 years ago. As the cave became gradually filled with Peking Man remains and relics, stones and sands, and so on, a thick deposit was formed consisting of 13 layers which from east to west are about 140 meters long, 2-40 meters wide and about 40 meters deep.

The site was discovered in 1921 and the intensive excavation, beginning in 1927, was suspended by July 7 Incident of 1937 until the time China was liberated. During the past several decades, nearly 27,000 cubic meters have been excavated mainly from the middle part of the deposit; the discoveries include nearly two hundred pieces of Peking Man fossil representing about 40 individuals, thousands of stone artifacts, several layers of ash as evidence of fire use and nearly two hundred species of fossil animals. This is most complete site of the same Geological Age in the world and plays an important role in scientific research.