ZHOUKOUDIAN－HOME OF PEKING MAN

The remains of the home of peking Man is located on Dragon Bone Hill near the town of Zhoukoudian, Fanshan District, Beijing (Peking).The place became world renowned since the discovery of a well-preserved fossil of a Peking Man in the zos and particularly when the first skull of a peking Man was found in 1929. These discoveries are solid proofs of the existence of Peking Man, a milestone in the history of the study of paleoanthropology. Unearthed fossil remains in Zhoukoudian include 6 skulls, 15 mandibles, 157 teeth and countless fragmented bones belonging to 40 individual Peking Men, providing important material for the studies of the early biological evolution of human beings and the development of culture in the early stage.

The study of culturat sediments show that Peking Man lived from 7 to 2 hundred thousand years ago. The average weight of Peking Man?/FONT>s brains is 1,088ml. (That of modern man is 1,400ml.) The calculated height of Peking Man is 156cm. That of peking Woman is 150 cm. They lived in the Stone Age, making stone implements by hammering, pouneing and in some rare cases striking on anvils. Fire was first used by Peking Man who hunted large animals too. Peking Man did not live long-68.2% died before 14. Those who lived over 50 were less than 4.5%

In 1930 fossils of Upper Cave Man who lived 20 thousand years ago were found on the top of Dragon Bone Hill. In 1973 New Cave Man who lived between the periods of the existance of Peking Man and Upper Cave Man was discovered, showing a continuation and development of Peking Man.

In December,1987 The Zhoukoudian-Home of Peking man was listed in the Chronology of   Recognition of World Heritages in China.