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Yuanmou Man statue at the Yuanmou Man MuseumAmong all the different prehistoric relic sights in China, the Yuanmou Man Site in Yuanmou County (Yunnan province) holds a special place of prominence because it is the place where the oldest prehistoric human fossils were unearthed in China. Many of these relics are now on display at the Yuanmou Man Museum in Yuanma Town which lies just a few kilometers away.

Due to manifold archeological discoveries, we now know that many subspecies of Homo erectus lived in what is now China during prehistoric times. Yuanmou Man was one of these different humanoid ancestors but despite its importance in the human chain of evolution, it is still much less known than Lantian Man or Peking Man. One major reason for this is the remote location of the Yuanmou Man Site where the archeological evidence for Yuanmou Man's existence was unearthed. It is located on the mountainside about 500 meters north of Danawu Village in Yuanmou County (Yunnan province), so thousands of kilometers away from the other significant prehistoric excavation sites in China like the Xihoudu Site, Peking Man Site, Lantian Man Sites and Nihewan Ruins.

The scientific proof that Yuanmou Man once inhabited this area during the paleolithic period of prehistory consists of two upper incisor teeth as well as a left shinbone shaft that Chinese archeologists respectively unearthed on the 1st of May 1965 and in December 1984. The two places of discovery are located only about 250 meters away from each other at an elevation of 1,050 to 1,150 meters. Scientific tests have revealed that the shinbone belonged to a young female whereas the two teeth belonged to a male. Paleomagnetic dating of the two teeth in 1976 has revealed them to be about 1.7 million years old. Retesting in 1977 has however corrected their age to somewhere between 1.63 and 1.64 million years. The Yuanmou Man fossils are therefore the oldest human fossils that were ever discovered in China. (The much older fossils that were discovered at the Xihoudu Site were animal fossils that prove human activity like scraping bones and making a fire but not human fossils.)

casts of the two incisor teeth of Yuanmou Man, on display at the Shanghai Natural History MuseumThough ape-like in appearance, the subspecies of Homo erectus that has been classified as Yuanmou Man was able to walk upright and make and use tools. Included among the 16 stone tools that were discovered at or near the Yuanmou Man Site were cores, flakes, choppers, pointed tools and scrapers. All these tools were made of quartz or quartzite that the Yuanmou people had probably gathered from a nearby river. Furthermore, some animal fossils were excavated at the Yuanmou Man Site as well. During the distant age when this area was inhabited by the Yuanmou people, the local vegetation featured grassland, bushland, marshland and forests. The animals that then lived alongside and were hunted by Yuanmou Man included stegodonts, deer, rhinos, cattle, pigs, chalicotheres and giant short-faced hyenas.

Tourists can travel to the relatively remote Yuanmou County in southern China where the Yuanmou Man Site and the Yuanmou Man Museum (there is more info on that museum further down on this page) are located by car, bus or train from Kunming. The latter is probably the best option since the trip from the Kunming Railway Station or the Kunming South Railway Station by express train to the newly opened Yuanmouxi Railway Station (Yuanmou West Railway Station) takes less than 2 hours. That new station is located only about 3km to the west of the Yuanmou Man Museum in Yuanma Town (the administrative center of Yuanmou County). Taking a car instead of the train would however make it much easier to then drive the 10.6km to the Yuanmou Man Site from the Yuanmou Man Museum at the center of Yuanma Town. Apart from the pleasant natural scenery, there is however not much to see at the Yuanmou Man Site that tourists will find interesting. A sculpture with animal totems and a large stone tablet are all that currently remind visitors of the site's importance. A walk around this area on the mountainside north of Danawu Village therefore won't take long. Having a picnic at the site might perhaps be a good way to make your visit more memorable and enjoyable.

commemorative stone tablet that was erected at the Yuanmou Man SiteIf you want to see any of the unearthed Yuanmou Man relics (as well as some replicas), you'll have to visit the Yuanmou Man Museum in Yuanma Town. There is a large square in front of this modern museum that was opened in February 2010. The best hotel in Yuanma Town - the 4-star Yuanmou Hotel - is located just opposite the Yuanmou Man Museum which is one of the reasons why it is our recommended hotel that is reviewed further down on this page.

The Yuanmou Man Museum contains six spacious exhibition halls on its two floors. It might be best to visit this museum early in the morning as soon as it has opened its doors for the day. That is because it can get very hot inside due to a lack of ventilation and air conditioning (according to the reports of some visitors). A thorough visit of the museum should take about 2 - 3 hours. After all, there are about 4,000 cultural relics and 1,200 models and specimens as well as 200 pictures and other items on display. Each of the six exhibition halls at the Yuanmou Man Museum has an overarching theme. These themes are reflected in the names of the halls, which are: "Human Origins Exhibition Hall", "Yuanmou Ancient Apes and Yuanmou People Exhibition Hall", "Scene Hall", "Yuanmou Paleolithic and Fine Stone Culture Exhibition Hall", "Dadunzi Neolithic Culture Exhibition Hall" and "Dinosaur Exhibition Hall".

Included among the exhibits that you can see at the Yuanmou Man Museum are replicas of the two fossilized teeth of Yuanmou Man, models that attempt to recreate the physical characteristics of the Yuanmou people, models of dinosaur fossils (including a very large one in Hall 6), fossils of ancient apes and rhinoceros that were discovered in the Yuanmou area and various tools that humans used during different eras of their evolutionary development. The display of the exhibits is accompanied by interesting information on the Yuanmou people, the ancient dinosaurs that once roamed this area, the evolutionary history of ancient humans and paleontology in general as well as the history of the Yuanmou territory. So, if you have ever wondered about the evolutionary links that science has so far uncovered between the different primitive humanoid species that existed during prehistoric times, then don't forget to visit the Yuanmou Man Museum when coming to Yuanmou County!

view of the modern Yuanmou Man Museum in Yuanma Town from the large square that is right in front of it

How to get to the Yuanmou Man Site & Museum?

On the following Google map, you can see the location of the Yuanmou Man Museum and the Yuanmou Man Site (the blue icons). The Yuanmou Hotel (the yellow hotel bed icon) is our recommended hotel nearby. Zoom out of the map to see the location of the Zhongwei Green Lake Hotel Kunming, our recommended hotel in Kunming's city center. Further below on this page, you can read a review of the services and amenities of both of these hotels. In case you are planning a trip to China, you could support this website by using the provided affiliate links to check prices and book your hotel accommodation!

You can book hotels in China with both of our affiliate partners Agoda and Trip.com. No matter whether you choose Agoda or Trip.com, you will find many offers on each of these platforms that will allow you to make a risk-free booking with the possibility of free cancellation until a clearly stated date and time, sometimes as late as the intended date of arrival. However, some deals require prepayment and don't permit cancellation without fees. In that case, the incurred cancellation fees are clearly stated.

When following an Agoda link, the search results will show you prices, availability and special offers for your chosen dates with the recommended hotel in the top search position as well as for other hotels in the same area. Links to Trip.com will take you to the specific hotel webpage where you can then search for availability, prices and special deals with your chosen dates.

The provided information was thoroughly researched from various hotel booking websites. Chinese History Digest is not responsible if any information regarding the provided services and amenities might have changed.

Recommended Hotel near the Yuanmou Man Museum

The 4-star Yuanmou Hotel that is reviewed first in detail below is the best hotel in Yuanma Town. It is conveniently located just opposite the Yuanmou Man Museum. The Yuanmou Hotel is available for booking on Trip.com but not on Agoda.

Recommended Hotel at Kunming's City Center

The Zhongwei Green Lake Hotel Kunming which is reviewed in detail below is located right next to Green Lake Park and about 5.6km away from the Kunming Railway Station. The taxi ride from the hotel to the railway station should take about 25 minutes. In addition to the links to Agoda that are used in the review below, this 5-star hotel is also available for booking on Trip.com by following this link.