Why go
Quarry workers first found bones in the hillside in the 1910s; by 1929, the Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson and Chinese palaeontologist Pei Wenzhong had uncovered the first complete Peking Man skull. Over the next decade, fossils of about 40 individuals emerged from the cave, along with stone tools and ash — the earliest clear evidence of human use of fire.
Tragically, the original fossils were lost during the chaos of World War II. Only casts remain. The site itself, however, is intact and still being excavated; its strata preserve a continuous record of habitation from roughly 750,000 to 200,000 years ago.
- Locality 1 — the main cave where Peking Man skulls were found
- The Upper Cave — where early modern human burials were uncovered
- The on-site museum with fossil replicas and excavation records
- The stratigraphic layers showing 500,000 years of habitation
What to see
Start at the Zhoukoudian Site Museum — see the replica skulls, the story of the excavation, and displays of stone tools and animal bones. Then walk the path up the hill to Locality 1, the main cave, where viewing platforms explain the stratigraphy.
Continue along the trail to the Upper Cave, where some of the earliest known modern human burials in China were found. Other stops include Locality 4 and the New Cave, both with excavation pits.
The walking trail is forested and pleasant in warm weather; bring water as there is little shade at the viewpoints.
Practical notes
Zhoukoudian is a half-day trip from Beijing — easiest with a car or a guided tour. Pair it with the nearby Marco Polo Bridge (Lugou Qiao) for a combined historical outing.
Getting there
- Bus 917 from Beijing to Zhoukoudian (90 min)
- Drive from central Beijing (1 hour)
- Discovered
- 1929 — first skull by Pei Wenzhong
- Age
- c. 750,000–200,000 years
- UNESCO
- World Heritage since 1987
