The Hualongdong Site

The Hualongdong Site

The Hualongdong Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Hualongdong Site is located in Pangwang Village Group, Wangcun Village, Yaodu Town, Dongzhi County, Chizhou City, Anhui Province. In 1988, fragmented bone fossils were discovered here, and in 2004, it was confirmed to be a cave site of prehistoric human activity. From July to October 2006, a trial excavation of 72 square meters was conducted. One fossilized human tooth (lower molar M1) was found, along with a batch of chipped stone tools and bone implements bearing clear signs of processing and use.

A document issued by the Dongzhi County Government Office announced the protected area and construction control zone, with the construction control zone extending 50 meters outward from the perimeter of the protected area. In October 2019, it was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Excavations at the Hualongdong Site in Dongzhi County, Anhui, conducted between 2014 and 2015, yielded a series of significant discoveries. On October 11, the excavation team unearthed a relatively complete Homo erectus skull fossil. In total, over 20 pieces of human fossils were found during these excavations, including one human skull fossil, stone tools made and used by ancient humans, numerous bone fragments showing signs of artificial cutting or smashing, and fossils of more than 20 species of vertebrates.

Between July and September 2006, Han Ligang from the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology led the first excavation of Hualongdong. After discovering one human tooth, one fragment of a human frontal bone fossil, and some mammalian fossils, researchers concluded that this had once been a cave, hence naming it Hualongdong (Dragon Cave).

In 2014 and 2015, cultural relics archaeologists conducted further excavations at Hualongdong, with areas of 18 square meters and 28 square meters respectively. These two excavations uncovered a number of important human fossils, including: three teeth, one temporal bone, one frontal bone fragment, and four skull fragments unearthed in 2014; and in 2015, one intact skull preserving the eye sockets and part of the face, one skull fragment with the upper rim of the eye sockets preserved, three mandible fragments, one maxilla fragment, three teeth, and several skull fragments.

The fossil accumulation at the Hualongdong Site has a thickness of 1.7 meters, covering an area of 72 square meters. Currently, archaeological excavation has only reached a depth of 70 centimeters and is limited to the "outside" part of the cave. To achieve new breakthroughs in the next phase of excavation at Hualongdong, the local government has designated a protected area, stipulating that no individual or entity may carry out earthworks such as building houses, digging wells, burying graves, drilling, or quarrying without approval within the protected area of the site.

The human teeth fossils, stone tools, bone implements, and large number of animal fossils unearthed at the Hualongdong Site hold high academic value for studying the evolution of human civilization in the Yangtze River basin, as well as changes in climate, environment, and geology. They are particularly significant for research on the origins of modern humans.

In 2019, the Hualongdong Site was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Protected Area: East to the foot of the eastern side of Meiyuan Mountain, South to the foot of the northern side of Mijia Mountain, West to the residential land of Pang Wenben and Ma Zhonghu, extending all the way to the Tongjiu Railway, North to the village loop road and the foot of Meiyuan Mountain.

Construction Control Zone: 50 meters outward in the east, south, west, and north directions beyond the protected area.

Wangcun Village: General Overview of Wangcun Village

Wangcun Village borders Jiandong Village to the east, Dongchong Village to the west, faces the mountainous Meilong Mountain to the south, and lies beside the rippling Huangni Lake to the north, making it a village nestled by mountains and water. Provincial Highway 327 runs through the village. The total area of the village is 7.8 km², including 4,900 mu of arable land and 6,700 mu of forestland. Agriculture is the dominant industry, making it a major farming village. The total population is 1,320, divided into 13 villager groups. … More detailed information about Wangcun Village++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units