Jiuli Mountain Baiyun Cave Paleontological Fossil Site

Jiuli Mountain Baiyun Cave Paleontological Fossil Site

The Jiuli Mountain Baiyun Cave Paleontological Fossil Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Jiuli Mountain Baiyun Cave paleontological fossil excavation site is located on the western slope of Jiuli Mountain. The cave entrance is semi-circular, 3 meters high and 4 meters wide. Baiyun Cave is a fissure cave formed by water erosion in a fault-fractured zone of thin-layered dolomitic limestone from the Late Cambrian period. Though not large in size, it extends quite deep. In 1994, during the development of Baiyun Cave by Shitun Township, thousands of mammalian fossils were found in the shallow clay deposits (0–X meters) within the cave’s fissures. These fossils were identified as belonging to 8 genera, 8 species, 6 families, and 3 orders of ancient mammals, including Equus sanmeniensis, Hyaena sinensis, Sus lydekkeri, Axis grayi, Megaloceros pachyosteus, an unidentified species of antelope, an unidentified species of bear, and an unidentified species of cattle. Their geological age roughly corresponds to that of the paleoanthropological fauna of the first site at Tangshan, Nanjing, or the Peking Man fauna, dating to the late Middle Pleistocene, approximately 127,000 to 500,000 years ago. This site has been designated as the third site at Tangshan, Nanjing. Additionally, over ten human skull fossils were discovered in the cave and have been identified as Homo sapiens fossils. Moreover, a number of bone tools, chipped stone implements, and possible traces of fire use were also unearthed. By the end of the first phase of excavation in 2005, Baiyun Cave had been excavated to a depth of about 40 meters from the cave entrance floor, with new fossils continuously being discovered. Baiyun Cave has long been associated with Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries. Above the cave entrance are the three characters “Bai Yun Dong” (白云洞, meaning “White Cloud Cave”), and the outer wall of the cave bears an inscription reading “Da Song Zhenghe Yiwei (1115) November Ren Shen” (大宋政和乙未（1115）十一月壬申). Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the cave has retained numerous relics left by literati and warriors through the ages, along with many local legends. During the Japanese invasion of China, Baiyun Cave was used by the Japanese army as an ammunition depot, and the shallow relics near the cave entrance were severely damaged.

On June 5, 2006, it was designated as a cultural heritage conservation unit of Jiangsu Province, classified as an ancient site.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Heritage Conservation Units of Jiangsu Province