Site of the Maba Man

Site of the Maba Man

The Site of the Maba Man is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, and a science education base.

The Site of the Maba Man is located at Lion Rock in Maba Town, consisting of two isolated Carboniferous limestone peaks. Viewed from afar, they resemble a crouching lion with its head low and tail high. The mountain features an intricate network of caves that connect vertically and horizontally, with the lowest level permanently filled with clear, fresh water.

In 1958, a human skull fossil was discovered in a crevice within the second layer of caves on the northern side of Lion Head Mountain. After reconstruction, the fossil was found to include the frontal bone and parts of the parietal bone, as well as portions of the right eye socket and nasal bone. Experts have identified it as an early type of human fossil representing a transitional form from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens.

The discovery of the Maba Man has been immensely helpful in studying the activities of ancient humans in this region, as well as the geography, climate, and ecological environment of the time. It also provides important physical evidence for further exploration of human evolution and development.

Located 20 kilometers southwest of downtown Shaoguan, one can see two exquisite and uniquely shaped isolated limestone peaks standing side by side, one taller than the other. Their lion-like appearance gives the site its name, Lion Rock. Inside the rock, caves are crisscrossed with variously shaped stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars. The lowest level is filled year-round with crystal-clear water. Outside the rock, lush green grass and trees create a scene reminiscent of an ink-wash landscape painting. The Site of the Maba Man is situated right here.

The discovery of the Maba Man’s skull was purely accidental. One day in 1958, local farmers in Maba Township, Qujiang County, were making homemade phosphate fertilizer near Lion Rock when they stumbled upon the Maba Man’s skull fossil, which had lain silently in a crevice within the rocky caves for 100,000 years.

The Maba Man skull fossil mainly consists of the cranial vault, including the frontal bone and parts of the parietal bone, along with most of the right eye socket and nasal bone. It belonged to a middle-aged male. Compared to the Peking Man who lived 500,000 years ago, the Maba Man skull shows significant changes but still retains some ape-like features: the brow ridge protrudes forward, the top of the skull is flat, the forehead slopes backward, and the jaw is broad, flat, and protruding. Scientific calculations estimate that the Maba Man lived around 129,000 years ago, representing an ancient human type that bridges the gap between Chinese apes and modern humans. As an early Homo sapiens, the Maba Man is a crucial representative of the transition from Homo erectus to early Homo sapiens.

The Maba Man, who lived in Lion Rock, subsisted on raw meat and made stone tools. The area was home to many fierce wild animals, as evidenced by the discovery of fossils such as giant pandas, tigers, saber-toothed elephants, Naqu elephants, wild boars, and the Chinese rhinoceros. Bite marks from wild animals have even been found on the unearthed Maba Man skull.

Before the discovery of the Dingcun Man in Fengkai in 1989, the finding of the Maba Man provided vital information for completing the sequence of primitive human development in China — from ape-man (Peking Man) to ancient man (Maba Man) to new man (Upper Cave Man). It represents a key link in understanding the evolution from ape to human. This discovery was once listed among the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries” in the early years of the People’s Republic of China, which is also one reason why the Maba Man is more renowned than the Dingcun Man.

However, the significance of the Maba Man goes beyond that. After reconstructing the Maba Man’s skull, experts were surprised to find that some of its features closely resemble those of the Neanderthals in Europe: both have relatively round eye sockets, whereas many ancient human fossils found in China have rectangular eye sockets.

The Neanderthals were an early Homo sapiens species in Europe. After Homo erectus left Africa, around 600,000 years ago, they evolved into Heidelberg Man in Europe, which then gave rise to the Neanderthals around 300,000 years ago. Aside from some more primitive features, the Neanderthals were largely comparable to modern Homo sapiens. They dominated Europe for 60,000 years but suddenly disappeared 40,000 years ago, a mystery in the field of ancient human archaeology. The presence of Neanderthal genes in the Maba Man adds further intrigue to this enigma.

China is one of the countries with the most discoveries of ancient human fossils in the world. Research in human origins has traced back to as early as two million years ago, with even older ancient ape fossils continuously being discovered. Some scholars therefore propose that this land in East Asia could be another significant origin of humankind, which undoubtedly challenges the traditional theory that humans originated in Africa.

The Maba Man — a mysterious lineage that fascinates the world.

Designated as a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1961.

The Maba Man Museum, also known as the Qujiang District Museum of Shaoguan City, is located within the Site of the Maba Man Scenic Area in Maba Town, Qujiang District, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province — 3 kilometers southwest of Maba Town. It neighbors the Shixia Site and the Site of the Maba Man, both Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. It is a heritage museum named after the renowned early human fossil “Maba Man.”

Established in 1978, it is responsible for cultural relics protection, collection, research, and exhibition work in Qujiang District, Shaoguan City. In 2000, it was listed as a Guangdong Provincial Patriotic Education Base.

The current museum building was constructed in 1988, covering an area of 12,000 square meters with a construction area of 3,300 square meters. The exhibition area spans 2,400 square meters, and the storage area covers 600 square meters.

The main exhibits include: the “Maba Man” exhibition, the “Shixia Site” exhibition, the “Fine Ancient Ceramics” exhibition, a photo exhibition featuring visits by Party and state leaders as well as provincial and ministerial-level officials to Qujiang, and the “Zhang Jiuling Memorial Hall” exhibition. The museum’s collection includes 4,441 artifacts such as fossils, stone tools, ceramics, bronzeware, ironware, jade artifacts, calligraphy and paintings, and revolutionary relics. Among them, there are 11 sets of first-grade relics, 38 sets of second-grade relics, and 332 sets of third-grade relics.

Since 2009, the museum has been open to the public free of charge, receiving nearly 100,000 visitors annually on average. As a patriotic education base at the provincial, municipal, and district levels, it plays a significant role in promoting spiritual civilization and serving as a window for the strategy of revitalizing the country through science and education.

Lion Rock is located 1.5 kilometers southwest of Qujiang County’s county town and 18 kilometers from downtown Shaoguan. It is the site of the world-renowned Maba ancient humans and the Shixia Culture. The rock consists of two exquisitely shaped isolated limestone peaks — one tall and one short — standing side by side. Viewed from the north, it resembles a sleeping lion; from the south, it looks like a dancing lion, hence the name Lion Rock. The interior is filled with caves and diverse stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars.

The local “Maba Man” ruins and “Shixia Culture” site are internationally famous. The Maba people represent an ancient human type between Chinese apes and modern humans. Archaeologists and artists have reconstructed life-sized dioramas of Maba people from 120,000 years ago in the Yin Rock Cave and of Maba newcomers from four to five thousand years ago in the Osmanthus Rock Cave. A variety of amusement facilities are available outside the caves, including an antique-style “Wild Barbecue Pit” and “Hunting Ground,” as well as the option to take a ride in an antique dugout canoe on the cave lake.

Shaoguan’s Qujiang Lion Rock, composed of Lion Head Mountain and Lion Tail Mountain, is where the 129,000-year-old “Maba Man” skull was unearthed and is the birthplace of the “Shixia Culture.” It is also one of the cradles of the Chinese nation. Over a thousand years ago, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng stayed and meditated in this rock on his way to Nanhua Temple after receiving the Dharma from the Fifth Patriarch Hongren. According to the “Caodi Tongzhi” (Comprehensive Records of Caodi): “Ten li west of the temple stands a huge rock, dozens of zhang high, with a cave inside where the Dharma Master Huineng once meditated...” Later, to commemorate the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, a Buddhist temple named Zhao Yin Temple (Temple of Secluded Sages) was built at the entrance of the cave where he meditated behind Lion Rock. A statue of the Sixth Patriarch was enshrined inside, and incense offerings have continued over the years, gradually making it one of the ancient Twenty-Four Scenic Spots known as “Secluded Sage at Lion Rock.”

The main cave of Zhao Yin Temple is planned to house worship halls, with eighteen arhats sculpted along the cave walls. The lower cave is dedicated to Guanyin, and the cave beneath that to the “Eighteen Levels of Hell.” Stone steps, a main hall, and a statue of the Sixth Patriarch have already been constructed. The construction area spans over 100 square meters. Additional plans include a scripture depository, guest hall, wing rooms, storage rooms, and kitchen, covering a construction area of 480 square meters on approximately two acres of land.

The Zhang Jiuling Memorial Hall is located within the Site of the Maba Man Scenic Area in Maba Town, Qujiang District, Shaoguan City. It is the only memorial hall dedicated to Zhang Jiuling in Shaoguan.

Built in 1988 to commemorate the 1310th anniversary of Zhang Jiuling’s birth, the hall houses the Zhang Jiuling family genealogy and displays calligraphy and photography exhibitions in his honor. A sculpture of Zhang Jiuling is erected at the entrance.

The Shixia Site contains archaeological cultural accumulations from four different periods. The first layer is a Neolithic cultural stratum dating back about 6,000 years; the second layer is a Late Neolithic cultural stratum from 5,000–4,000 years ago, named the “Shixia Culture”; the third layer is an Early Bronze Age cultural stratum from 3,800–3,100 years ago; and the fourth layer is a Late Bronze Age cultural stratum corresponding to the late Western Zhou to the Spring and Autumn period in the Central Plains. The site has revealed post holes, ash pits, pottery kilns, and 136 excavated tombs.

The discovery and excavation of the Shixia Site represent a major breakthrough in archaeological work in Guangdong. It fills a gap in the pre-Qin and Han ancient cultures and provides abundant physical materials for studying the relationship between contemporary cultures in neighboring provinces and regions as well as coastal areas in southeastern China. It holds significant importance for both archaeology and history.

Maba Town: This town is the seat of Qujiang County, located 15 kilometers from the downtown area of Shaoguan City. It covers a land area of 189 square kilometers, including 1,853 hectares of arable land and 9,003 hectares of forested land. In 2002, the total population was 98,000, of which 32,000 were agricultural residents. The town has 17 village committees, 7 neighborhood committees, and 234 natural villages. Transportation in the area is well-developed, with the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, National Highway 106, and the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway (the southern entrance and exit of Shaoguan City is located within the town) running through it. Water transport is also smooth, with over 10 freight docks along the Beijiang River. Mobile phone and other communication networks cover the entire town; the area... More information about Maba Town++

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