Zhoukoudian

Zhoukoudian or Choukoutien (Chinese: 周口店; pinyin: Zhōukǒudiàn) is a cave system in Beijing, China. Many archaeological discoveries were found here, including one of the first specimens of Homo erectus, dubbed Peking Man, and bones of the large hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris. The Peking Man lived in this cave about 200,000 to 750,000 years ago.

The Peking Man Site was discovered by Johan Gunnar Andersson in 1921^[1] and was first excavated by Otto Zdansky in 1921 and 1923 unearthing two human teeth.^[2]

References

1. "The First Knock at the Door". Peking Man Site Museum. In the summer of 1921, Dr. J.G. Andersson and his companions discovered this richly fossiliferous deposit through the local quarry men's guide. During examination he was surprised to notice some fragments of white quartz in tabus, a mineral normally foreign in that locality. The significance of this occurrence immediately suggested itself to him and turning to his companions, he exclaimed dramatically "Here is primitive man, now all we have to do is find him!"
2. "The First Knock at the Door". Peking Man Site Museum. For some weeks in this summer and a longer period in 1923 Dr. Otto Zdansky carried on excavations of this cave site. He accumulated an extensive collection of fossil material, including two Homo erectus teeth that were recognized in 1926. So, the cave home of Peking Man was opened to the world.