The Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution in China
Dennis A. Etler, Ph.D.
[Last Update: December 5, 2004]

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Click on image for article discussing the Yunxian 2 specimen

Table of Contents Prof. Jia Lanpo 1908-2001 Prof. Jia Lanpo, world renowned prehistorian and doyen of Chinese archaeology passed away on July 8, 2001. Please access his obituary as published in American Anthropologist (click on link above). A retrospective of Prof. Jia's life and career can be found by clicking here. Introduction Catalog of Chinese Human Fossils Slide Shows Articles Links to Other Sites Find out about the Patron Saint of Chinese Paleontology, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Research Activities Acknowledgements WebMaster

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Introduction

This site introduces the fossil evidence for human evolution in China. At present it includes a catalog of Chinese human fossil remains consisting of: a picture gallery of important fossil specimens, maps detailing the distribution of human fossils, and a time line; links to other relevant sites dealing with paleontology, human evolution and Chinese prehistory; and other resources which may be useful for gaining a better understanding of China's role in the emergence of humankind. More features will be added in the near future

Catalog of Human Fossils from China

The fossil record of human evolution in China has increased dramatically within the last two decades. The following resources are meant to introduce both earlier and more recent fossil hominid discoveries from China. These include examples of the archaic human ancestor H. erectus; pre-modern forms of H. sapiens, which are intermediate in time and morphology between H. erectus and anatomically modern people; and early forms of fully modern H. sapiens known from China. In order to facilitate browsing this information you can go directly to page one of the picture gallery, or first go to the table of fossil specimens and locate the specimen (cataloged by province) you are interested in viewing, then click on its location name to jump to the picture gallery, where a photo and caption are available. You can also start out from the maps page or time-line. The latter two resources are client maintained "usemaps" configured for PCs using Windows 3.1 and Netscape 3.0. They may not be operational with other browsers or operating systems.

• A Table Listing All Chinese Fossil Hominids Known to Date
• Picture gallery - Photographs of Major Chinese Fossil Ape and Human Specimens - ( Page 1, non-human primates | Page 2, pre-Zhoukoudian H. erectus| Page 3, Zhoukoudian H. erectus | Page 4, post-Zhoukoudian H. erectus | Page 5, pre-modern H. sapiens | Page 6, late pre-modern/early modern H. sapiens)
• Atlas of Human Evolution in China
• Interactive Time Line of Human Evolution in China

Slide Shows

• "Age and Living Environment of Yunxian Man", by Li Tianyuan.(Chinese language version), (English language version) Powerpoint presentation of research done by Prof. Li and colleagues on the important Yunxian fossil hominid site in Hubei province. Chinese language version requires fonts for rendering Chinese characters. (Please click here to download the free MS Powerpoint Viewer.)

Articles (in PDF format)

• New Middle Pleistocene Hominid Crania from Yunxian in China - by Li Tianyuan and Dennis A. Etler. Description and analysis of two nearly complete crania of Homo erectus from the central Chinese province of Hubei.

• The Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution in Asia - by Dennis A Etler. A comprehensive review of all fossil hominids known from the Asian mainland with a primary focus on China. Includes a discussion of various interpretive paradigms of human evolution during the Pleistocene and the role Asia played in the evolution of modern people.

• Longgupo: Early Homo Colonizer or Late Pliocene Lufengpithecus Survivor in South China? - by Dennis A. Etler, Tracey L. Crummett & Milford H. Wolpoff. A refutation of the position that the Longgupo remains represent an early dispersal of Homo into Asia. In actuality the fossil material from Longgupo is shown to be a palimpsest of fossil ape and modern human remains.

• Asian Fossils and African Origins - by Dennis A. Etler and Zhou Guoxing. Abstract for presentation regarding status of the Longgupo remains. View Slide Show

• Homo erectus in East Asia: Human Ancestor or Evolutionary Dead-end? - by Dennis A. Etler. In press (Athena Review). A critical review of human evolutionary studies in east Asia.

Acknowledgements

This Website is made possible by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Committee on Scholarly Communication with China and the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation. Its sponsoring organization, the Center for Study of Chinese Prehistory, is a non-profit, unincorporated California association.

Coming Attractions

More features to be added in the near future include improved graphics (color pictures), pages describing the Chinese Paleolithic and Neolithic, and a section reviewing research at the H. erectus site in Yunxian, Hubei.

WebMaster

Dr. Dennis A. Etler

Here I am seated with Prof. Jia Lanpo (center) of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, and Prof. Li Tianyuan (right) of the Hubei Archeological Institute, in Prof. Jia's study in Beijing. Click on the picture for a slide show, presented at a meeting of the American Association of Anthropology prior to his death, detailing Prof. Jia's great contributions to archaeological research in China and world-wide

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