World Heritage Day: 10 must-visit archaeological sites in China (I)

2. Zhoukoudian, Beijing (北京周口店遺址, běi jīng zhōu kǒu diàn yí zhǐ)

Zhoukoudian, a UNESCO heritage site located 50 km from downtown Beijing, has been a significant site in paleoanthropology. It has yielded abundant evidence of ancient hominin activities.

At various parts of the site, scientists have unearthed the remains of early human lineage member Homo erectus "Peking Man" (北京直立人, běi jīng zhí lì rén) that date back more than 500,000 years, as well as of Homo sapiens "Shandingdong Man", identified as a primitive modern human, who lived 30,000 years ago.