Changyang Man Site

Changyang Man Site – Brief Introduction

Changyang Man Site is about 45 kilometers away from Changyang Tujia Autonomous County. It is a cave about 1300 meters above the sea level. The mouth of the cave is about 2 meters high and 6 meters wide. Man's upper jaw bone and teeth and fossils of ancient vertebrates were discovered successively. Primitive human fossils which could be dated back to 0.19 million years were unearthed here. The discovery of Changyang Man proved that there were human beings lived and activated here in primitive times.

Changyang Man is one of the earliest primitive human beings discovered in the south of Yangtze River. The discovery of Changyang Man indicates that the area in the south of Yangtze River is the cradle of Chinese culture as Yellow River Basin; it is also a birthplace of Chinese nation.

Changyang Man Site - Changyang Man Fossil Cave

Changyang Man Fossil Cave is located at Zhongjiawan Village, Changyang Tujia Autonomous County. It is about 45 kilometers away from Longzhouping county town. It has been listed as a provincial cultural relic unit.

Changyang Man Fossil Cave was divided into two parts: the left one is pretty tilting and the right one is relatively straight and flat. The fossils of Changyan Man were discovered in the left one. Some animal fossils (such as elephant, panda and sika deer) were unearthed with Changyang Man.

The unearthed fossils of primitive human beings and animals were exhibited at Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS (Chinese Academy of Science). Changyan Man has been put into the history textbook.