This left maxilla from Changyang, Hubei, discovered in 1956, was the first portion of the cranium of a pre-modern H. sapiens (other than a few teeth found in the early 1950s at Dingcun) to be found in China. Although it preserves only P3 and M1 and its body is severely eroded, enough of the specimen remains to indicate its intermediate position, both metrically and morphologically, between H. erectus and modern Chinese.

Discovered in the early 1980s in the eastern province of Anhui and not far from Hexian, the Chaoxian remains consist of an occipital (not shown), eight whole or partial teeth, a relatively complete right maxilla and the anterior portion of the left maxilla. Although the occipital is damaged it seems to be less flexed than is typical in H. erectus. The maxillae retain the premolars and first molar on the right and most of the alveoli for the anterior dentition. The anterior portion of the hard palate is also intact. The general configuration of the palate, degree of subnasal prognathism and the position of the incisive foramena are all intermediate between H. erectus as known from Zhoukoudian and early modern H. sapiens in China. The Chaoxian site is dated to the late Middle Pleistocene, approximately 200-250,000 years ago.

Human remains from Xujiayao in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi were discovered in an open air setting during the late 1970s. Although fragmentary the remains, representing several individuals, include most elements of the cranium. Shown here is a relatively complete occipital bone. Besides this and another occipital are a number of parietal bones, a temporal bone, a portion of a juvenile maxilla and the ascending ramus of a lower jaw. The Xujiayao site is dated to approximately 100,000 years ago. The humain remains retain some archaic features but are reminescent of later occuring human specimens in China from sites such as Shiyu and Laishui that have been attributed to fully modern H. sapiens.

The Liujiang cranium was discovered in a granitic cave in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi in 1958 in association with a partial skeleton. While fully modern in anatomy it retains some relatively archaic features relating primarily to various cranial proportions and indices. It is said to possess a combination of Mongoloid and Australasian racial features. A date of 68,000 years given to this specimen is somewhat suspect as the original context of the material is open to question

The Liujiang cranium, here seen in frontal view, is similar to recently discovered southern Chinese crania dated to the end of the Pleistocene, approximately 10,000 years ago. Cultural remians from the nearby Bailiandong cave site have been dated to approximately 30,000 years before present. It is therefore likely that the Liujiang remains date to the end of the Late Pleistocene, approximately 10-30,000 YBP.

Three crania, two female and one male, were found at the Upper Cave site at Zhoukoudian in the mid 1930s. Dating of the Upper Cave site is controversial with ages ranghing between 11-24,000 YBP. The three crania were studied by Weidenreich who suggested they represented three racial stocks, Eskimo, Melanesian and Ainu. Later studies by prof. Wu Xinzhi showed that the three skulls shared many common features and are best seen as "proto-mongoloid." This female skull (No. 102) has been artifically deformed, a common occurrence among many ethnic groups from different areas of the world.

Skull 103 from the Upper Cave at Zhoukoudian represents an older male. It shares many features with modern human crania from Late Pleistocene sites in Europe, and Africa, as well East Asia and the Americas. These common features most likely represent shared inheritance. Other features of the Upper Cave specimens link then to subsequent Neolithic populations of North China. The origins of modern Asian people is a continuing source of controversy in human evolutionary studies. Some are convinced that modern Asias evolved in place, while others are equally convinced that archaic Asians were replaced by an incursion of modern people from either Africa or perhaps Southeast Asia.