Xingyi Maomao Cave Ancient Cultural Site

Xingyi Maomao Cave Ancient Cultural Site

The Xingyi Maomao Cave Ancient Cultural Site is a cultural relic protection unit of Guizhou Province.

Dingxiao Town is located 25 kilometers northeast of Xingyi City. Not far from the town lies Maomao Mountain, which got its name because the mountain top has two raised mounds — one low and slightly drooping, resembling a cat’s head, and the other tall and flat, shaped like an arched cat’s body. From a distance, it looks like a wild cat crouching on the ground, ready to pounce and catch its prey. On the "cat’s head" there is a rock cave about 3 meters high and 4 meters wide, resembling the wide-open eyes of a mountain cat. Locals call it Maomao Cave.

In the winter of 1974, archaeologists stumbled upon stone flakes with ancient human-made impact marks in the cave by chance. Trial excavations were carried out in October of the following year, and full-scale excavation began in November. From the yellowish-brown sandy upper layer and accumulated deposits inside the cave, a wealth of precious cultural relics were unearthed, including human and mammalian fossils, as well as numerous traces of fire use. The unearthed human fossils featured a robust and low jawbone with a short and wide dental arch, similar in form to the jawbone of the “Upper Cave Man.” The femur was relatively thick, with thick bone walls and a small marrow cavity, resembling the fossils of late “Homo sapiens.” Over 4,000 pieces of knapped stone tools and more than 1,200 analyzable stone tool specimens were found, including choppers, scrapers, points, burins, as well as cores, flakes, drills, hammerstones, and other categories. The types of stone tools were complete, finely crafted, and diverse in shape. Six bone tools and eight horn tools were also discovered. The bone knife, gray-black in color, was polished smooth, exquisitely shaped, and had a sharp, clean cutting edge. The horn spade, made from deer antler with a 45-degree blade angle, was the first of its kind found in China. The dark brown bone awl was also uniquely crafted: a thick piece of animal bone was first shaped into a triangular form, then refined on both sides by striking from the inner to the outer bone wall, forming a slender, pointed tip at the top — ideal for piercing or cutting. Compared to the sharp bone awls unearthed at sites such as Jinniushan in Yingkou, Liaoning, and Shuidonggou in Lingwu County, Ningxia, this type features a long, slender tip and a spindle-shaped cross-section, making it a fine example of similar artifacts from China’s Paleolithic era. In addition, a large number of mammalian fossils were excavated, including those of the Chinese rhinoceros, narrow-toothed bear, cattle, deer, elephants, muntjac, bamboo rats, wild boars, and badgers, as well as traces of fire use such as burnt bones, burnt stones, and charcoal fragments.

Archaeologists have named the human fossils unearthed from Maomao Cave the “Xingyi Man” fossils, and based on the characteristics of the associated artifacts, they have designated the site’s culture as the “Maomao Cave Culture.” The ancient Maomao Cave Cultural Site is a key cultural relic protection unit of Guizhou Province.

Xingyi City – Dingxiao Town, via G324 and Dingxiao Avenue, approximately a 40-minute drive by car. No admission fee.

Dingxiao Subdistrict: Located northeast of Xingyi City, 11 kilometers from the urban area. It covers a land area of 107.7 square kilometers, governs 2 neighborhood committees and 14 administrative villages, with a total population of 36,000. In 2000, it was listed among the “Top Ten Strong Townships in Qiannan Prefecture” by the Qiannan Prefecture Government. The town is home to the national scenic area of the Maling River Canyon. It features the ancient “Xingyi Man” cultural site and the world-renowned “Guizhou Dragon” fossils, as well as the thousand-year-old ancient banyan tree of Mabie, and traditional festivals of the Bouyei ethnic group such as the “Zhabei Song Festival.” The area has the Dingxiao River, the Louba River, and numerous streams. The forest coverage rate is 18.88%. Transportation is convenient... More details about Dingxiao Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Guizhou Province