Locality 1, also known as Peking Man Site, was the first to be discovered in 1921 under the direction of local quarry men.
The site was originally a natural limestone cave although the roof had long since collapsed spreading a layer of breccia and rubble across the top of the deposits.
Early excavations in 1921 and 1923 revealed evidence of human habitation from 500,000 to 200,000 years ago.
The cave was excavated from 1927-37 yielding 200 human fossils (from 40 individuals) identified as Homo erectus, more than 10,000 pieces of stoneware, several cinder layers indicating fire use in early man, as well as animal fossils from 200 separate species.
Tragically the bulk of this material was lost in 1941 during the Japanese Occupation and has never been recovered.
Excavations recommenced in 1949 and continued to yield fossils and artefacts making this site one of the most fruitful sources of material from the Middle Pleistocene era.

A total of 13 layers have been excavated at the site to a depth of nearly 40 m.
Layers below this have been shown by test-pit drilling to not contain fossils or stoneware and have never been excavated.
Locality 1, also known as Peking Man Site, was the first to be discovered in 1921 under the direction of local quarry men. The site was originally a natural limestone cave although the roof had long since collapsed spreading a layer of breccia and rubble across the top of the deposits. Early excavations in 1921 and 1923 revealed evidence of human habitation from 500,000 to 200,000 years ago. The cave was excavated from 1927-37 yielding 200 human fossils (from 40 individuals) identified as Homo erectus, more than 10,000 pieces of stoneware, several cinder layers indicating fire use in early man, as well as animal fossils from 200 separate species. Tragically the bulk of this material was lost in 1941 during the Japanese Occupation and has never been recovered. Excavations recommenced in 1949 and continued to yield fossils and artefacts making this site one of the most fruitful sources of material from the Middle Pleistocene era.
A total of 13 layers have been excavated at the site to a depth of nearly 40 m.
Layers below this have been shown by test-pit drilling to not contain fossils or stoneware and have never been excavated.
Zhoukoudian