Museum of the Ancient Human Cultural Site in Wangfujing

Museum of the Ancient Human Cultural Site in Wangfujing

The Museum of the Ancient Human Cultural Site in Wangfujing is a cultural tourism attraction and a patriotic education base.

The ancient human cultural site in Wangfujing was discovered in 1996 as a late Paleolithic site dating back approximately 24,000–25,000 years. It was once a place where ancient humans lived and hunted, featuring rich traces of fire use, burnt stones, animal fossils, and more. With an exhibition atmosphere that returns to simplicity and authenticity, large murals depicting the life and hunting scenes of ancient humans transport visitors to the homeland of their ancestors 20,000 years ago, offering a glimpse into their living environment and lifestyle. The museum offers different versions of guided tours—standard, student, and English—and features computer touchscreens providing global information on ancient humans, allowing visitors to learn about our ancestors and their living conditions in a relaxing and harmonious setting.

\

The Museum of the Ancient Human Cultural Site in Beijing’s Wangfujing is located at the earliest ancient human site excavated beneath Oriental Plaza in Beijing. It recreates the scene from 25,000 years ago when spotted deer leaped, ostriches roamed, and ancient humans hunted and lived by the mountains and waters. The museum displays traces of "Peking Man" engaging in hunting, making fires, and crafting tools. Within its over 300-square-meter exhibition hall, stone anvils, stone hammers, stone cores, and stone flakes unearthed from the original site are displayed. Also exhibited are the bones of ancient animals such as primitive cattle, spotted deer, ostriches, and fish, as well as bone shovels and flakes made by humans over 20,000 years ago. Visitors can also see relics and remains of fire use by late Pleistocene humans. The exhibition is complemented by numerous charts and photos, vividly showcasing the life scenes of ancient humans in today’s Wangfujing area—hunting, cooking, resting, and making tools—25,000 years ago, all set against murals and sculptures. The venue also offers hands-on activities such as computer touchscreens tailored for young visitors. This site is another major discovery of ancient human remains in the Beijing area following the Peking Man site at Zhoukoudian. The Wangfujing ancient human cultural site is the first significant find of ancient human cultural remains in the center of a global metropolis. The site lies 12 meters below the surface and contains two layers of grayish-brown ancient cultural strata. Across an area of about 2,000 square meters, over 2,000 cultural relics have been unearthed. The soil layers of the site preserve remnants of ancient human campfires—charcoal pits, charcoal debris layers, and areas rich in bone fragments. Stone tools, bone tools, and fire-use remains here remain in their original state as excavated. The museum officially opened in December 2001. The most important exhibit is a 50-square-meter site plot dating back 25,000 years, containing relics of ancient human fire use, burnt stones, burnt bones, stone tools, and animal fossils. Also displayed are stone anvils, stone hammers, stone cores, and stone flakes unearthed from the original site, along with the bones of primitive cattle, spotted deer, ostriches, and fish, and bone shovels and flakes made by humans over 20,000 years ago. Artificial sand tables, hanging paintings, and sculptures in the exhibition hall depict the life scenes of late Paleolithic humans in today’s Beijing Wangfujing area—hunting, cooking, resting, and making tools—25,000 years ago.

Location

B1 of Oriental Plaza First Street, Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development