Wannianju

Wannianju

Wannianju

Wannianju is located in Yanqian Town, more than 20 kilometers from the downtown area of the Wanshouyan Paleolithic Site. It was discovered in 1999, with a total area of over 1,200 square meters and an excavation area of 400 square meters. A total of more than 800 stone artifacts, a small number of bone and horn tools, and fossils of over 20 animal species were unearthed, dating back to 180,000 and 10,000–30,000 years ago.

The discovery of this site pushed back the history of ancient humans living in Fujian by over 100,000 years, filling a gap in the archaeological timeline of the province. It is also the first cave-type Paleolithic site in East China, spanning multiple cultural periods across the early, middle, and late stages of the Paleolithic era. Such a site is currently unparalleled in Fujian or even the entire southeastern coastal region of China. It holds significant importance for studying the prehistoric cultural origins of Fujian and Taiwan. In 2000, the site was ranked first among China’s Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries, and in 2001, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.