Zhoukoudian site, Paleolithic archaeological site in Fangshan District, China.

The Zhoukoudian site is a Paleolithic excavation in Fangshan containing multiple layers of sediment spanning hundreds of thousands of years. These layers record human habitation and document how the environment changed over deep time.

Johan Gunnar Andersson reached Dragon Bone Hill in 1921, and Otto Zdansky dug there in 1921 and 1923, finding two human molars. Davidson Black named the species Sinanthropus pekinensis in 1927; Pei Wenzhong found the first skullcap in 1929. Proposed dates for the occupation range from 700,000–200,000 to no earlier than 530,000 years ago. Excavation stopped in 1937, and most fossils were lost in 1941.

The site reveals how early humans made stone tools and used fire in their daily lives. Visitors walking through the excavated areas can observe the traces of these ancient crafts firsthand.

The caves are open for exploration, with fossil replicas and museum displays explaining human evolution on site. Wear comfortable shoes since the terrain is uneven and some areas have stairs and narrow passages.

The first skullcap was found in 1929 by Pei Wenzhong, working in a 40-metre fissure by candlelight in freezing weather. Most of the fossils unearthed before 1937 were lost in 1941 while being moved for safekeeping, and the skullcaps have never been recovered.