Park of China
Overview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (cultural, 1987) |
| Province | Beijing |
| Location | Dragon Bone Hill, Zhoukoudian, Fangshan District, Beijing |
| Mountains | Taihang Mountains |
| Latitude, longitude | 39.6, 116.0 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Site of Peking Man |
| Nearby cities | Fangshan, Beijing |
| Nearby sites | The Temple of Heaven, Beijing 47km, The Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing 49km, The Summer Palace, Beijing 49km, Ming Tombs 80km Search nearby |
| Themes | Prehistory, Museum, Cave, Fossils & geological sites |
About
The Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, on Dragon Bone Hill in Fangshan District, Beijing, is where the fossils of Peking Man were excavated. It is a World Heritage Site and a Major Historical and Cultural Site protected at the national level, with a museum.
Peking Man (Homo erectus pekinensis) lived roughly 200,000 to 700,000 years ago. In 1929 Pei Wenzhong unearthed the first complete skullcap in the Ape-Man Cave on Dragon Bone Hill.
In 1941, during the war with Japan, the Peking Man skulls vanished and have never been found; some suspect they are in Japan.
In 1933 fossils of modern humans from more than 30,000 years ago, the Upper Cave Man, were found in the Upper Cave above the Ape-Man Cave.
The Peking Man Site was in the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 1961 and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
Main sights
Peking Man Cave (Locality 1): cave deposits over 40 m thick on the east slope of Dragon Bone Hill, where Pei Wenzhong found the first Peking Man skullcap in 1929; the layers contain ash and other traces of fire, and many stone tools.
Upper Cave: a small cave above Locality 1, excavated in 1933, which yielded the fossils of Upper Cave Man together with a bone needle and ornaments of pierced animal teeth and shells.
Zhoukoudian Site Museum: at the foot of the hill, with casts of the Peking Man skulls, stone tools and fossils of animals of the same age.
Travel tips
Getting there: the site is in Fangshan District, about 50 km from central Beijing. Take bus 917 to Zhoukoudian Lukou and walk about 2 km, or take the Fangshan subway line and change to a bus or taxi. By car, use the Beijing–Hong Kong–Macao Expressway.
Visiting: start with the Zhoukoudian Site Museum at the foot of the hill, then walk up Dragon Bone Hill to the Peking Man Cave (Locality 1), the Upper Cave and other excavation sites.
On the hill: the sites are mostly caves and cut sections with signboards. The original fossils are in museums and research institutes; on site you see the deposits and caves.
Time: about half a day for the museum and the site.
Opening: the museum and the site are closed on Mondays; booking ahead is advised.
Note: there are steps and dirt paths on the hill, not steep; bring sun protection in summer.
Nearby: Shihua Cave and Shidu are in the same district and can be combined.
Banknotes and coins
The 5-yuan coin “World Cultural Heritage: the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian”, issued by the People’s Bank of China in 2004, shows a reconstruction of Peking Man and the Zhoukoudian site on the reverse.
Map
Photo credits: A cave on Dragon Bone Hill at Zhoukoudian: xiquinhosilva (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | The Temple of Heaven, Beijing 47km, Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital 48km, The Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing 49km, The Summer Palace, Beijing 49km |
| National parks | Stone Flower Cave 23km, Yesanpo 69km, Badaling–Ming Tombs Scenic Area 82km, Mount Pan 122km |
| Detailed guides | Shidu 34km |
| AAAAA attractions | Prince Gong's Mansion Scenic Area 50km, Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) 52km, Olympic Park 55km, Western Qing Tombs Scenic Area 62km |
| AAAA attractions | Yongjiqiao Scenic Area 10km, Zhoukoudian Site Museum 16km, Yunju Temple 20km, Nangong Scenic Area 26km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Yanqing UNESCO Global Geopark 93km |
| Historic cities | Baoding 93km |
| Cities | Beijing 48km, Tianjin 112km |
| Historical sites | Liulihe Bridge 3km, Liulihe Site 5km, Xiahuliang Bridge 8km, Zhuozhou Twin Pagodas 12km |
| National geoparks | Yanqing Petrified Wood National Geopark 127km, Jizhou National Geopark 129km |
| Nature reserves | Baihuashan National Nature Reserve 44km, Xiaowutaishan National Nature Reserve 101km, Songshan National Nature Reserve 102km, Dahaituo National Nature Reserve 110km |
| Historic villages | Shuiyu Village 22km, Liuliqu Village 42km |