Vol.24 No.2 2010 Paleoanthropology

In Search of the Ancestors of Chinese People

GAO Xing* and WANG Chunxue

Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing 100044, China

resently, the research on the human evolution, are from Africa, human beings, particularly modern origin of Chinese ancestors and no human fossil earlier than Chinese, long-lasting conflicts Pfocuses on two issues, 2.0 million years ago is available exist between two schools of ideas, namely the origin of the first outside of this continent. With this one of which advocates Africa as human populations in Asia and understanding, the international the exclusive cradleland, while the the origin of modern Chinese paleoanthropological community at other argues that actually multiple people. Up till now, all the fossils large believes that Africa cradled evolutional centers coexisted in the of Australopithecus and Homo the remote ancestors of humankind. process of human evolution, where habilis, the earliest two stages of As for the origin of modern continuous evolution occurred.

Origins of the earliest humans in China and Asia

Today the earliest time remains unknown when human beings appeared in China or even Asia. Some scholars believe that southern Asia, where anthropoids dated to 6.0 to 8.0 million years ago were unearthed, could be a cradleland of early humans. Recently, some scholars furthered their studies into the fossils discovered from sites in Lufeng, Yuanmou and Kaiyuan counties in Yunnan, China, and advanced that some characters of the fossils found in Lufeng are similar in some ways to those from south Africa, and closer to the latter concerning Fig. 1 The phylogeny given by the scholars who advocate that Lufengpithecus configuration compared to other lufengensis is an early member of hominidae. (Xu & Lu, 2008: P171). species of anthropoids (Xu & Lu, 2008: P172). For this reason, Lufengpithecus ring between apes and hominids earlier species later emerging on the lands of lufengensis is treated as an early branch than Australopithecus, and therefore what is now China (Fig. 1). Opponent of the hominid family, a transitional might be the remote ancestor to human scholars argued that, however, the era

*To whom correspondence should be addressed at [email protected].

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in which Lufengpithecus lufengensis a forefather-offspring relationship within the territory of China or even lived overlapped with that of the between them (Wu, 1999). More anywhere outside of Africa. In view early species from Africa, and on importantly, no material from of this, Africa is currently believed by the other hand, the characteristics of indubitable Australopithecus and most scholars to be the sole origin of their configuration do not indicate Homo habilis is found to date remote ancestors of human beings.

Sources and evolution of Homo erectus in China

As indicated by fossil and Northeastern Asia. About these early In the 20th century, scholars employed archeological evidence, Homo populations, most scholars advocate different methods, including fission- erectus had been living on the lands that they were the offspring of Homo track dating, disequilibrium uranium of China since the early stage of habilis who moved there from Africa series method, paleo-geomagnetic the Early Pleistocene. Up to now, about 2.0 million years ago. Some method and electron spin resonance to paleoanthropologists have unearthed scholars, however, argue that Homo date this site, and based on the large- fossils of Homo erectus or suspected erectus had originated indigenously scale multi-disciplinary investigation Homo erectus f r o m n u m e r o u s and was a hominid species unique a rough chronological framework was sites, like the Shangnabang Site in to East Asia. The latter opinion is established. In 2009 a Sino-US joint Yuanmou, Yunnan; the Longgupo not accepted widely, in that it lacks research team reported in Nature a Site in Wushan, Chongqing; the support from local fossil or cultural new dating result based on cosmogenic Longgudong Site in Jianshi, Hubei; evidence dating to 6.0 to 2.0 million 26Al/10Be burial dating technique. the Gongwangling Site in Lantian, years ago. Some scholars pin their The 7th to 10th layers of the strata in Shaannxi and the Xuetangliangzi hope on the discovery of new materials the cave, asserted the authors, could Site in Yunxian, Hubei. Besides, through further investigations and be about 0.77±0.08 million years old cultural relics are also found in some excavations to fill in this gap in early (Shen, et al., 2009), more than 200,000 localities, including the Renzidong human evolution of East Asia, and years older than formerly believed. The Site in Fanchang, Anhui, the Xihoudu thus significantly revise the theory of new result has attracted attention from Site in Ruicheng, Shanxi, and the human origins. the international academic community Nihewan Site in Yangyuan, Hebei. Another important factor holding and stirred widespread controversy and The Early Pleistocene cultural remains back the research in early human origins discussions, inspiring further research found in Nihewan Basin in Yangyuan, and evolution in China is the under- in related issues in this field. Soon after Hebei, dated back to 2.0 to 1.6 million developed chronology. Fortunately that, systematic excavation resumed in years ago, yield precious materials some breakthroughs were achieved this site after a long suspension, and to understand the survival and in recent years. Just take the case of important new evidence is emerging spread of early humans in China and Zhoukoudian Locality 1 as an example. from the caves there.

Origin of modern Chinese

Since over two decades ago, human populations living in Africa moved into this area from Africa about two theories about the origin of about 200,000 to 150,000 years ago. 60,000 to 50,000 years ago by way of modern human beings have been According to this theory, East Asian West Asia, South Asia, Southeastern standing in sharp opposition with Homo erectus represented by Peking Asia, and then traveled from the south each other within the international Man were extinct branches in the to the north. Other scholars hold a paleo-anthropological community evolution tree and did not transfer different opinion. They argue that (Wolpoff, Wu & Thorne, 1984). their genes down to modern humans. modern Chinese people are the result Based on mitochondria DNA analysis, Part of Chinese molecular biologists from a continuous evolution sourcing some Western scholars advocate the support this theory via their research from multiple areas. According to sole origin of Africa, stating that on the Y chromosome of East Asian this theory, the direct ancestors of modern human beings from across people, putting forward that the direct modern human all over the world the world are all descendants of the ancestor of modern Chinese people were the indigenous early hominids

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(archaic Homo sapiens or even Homo continuous: Human fossils of different over the recent years. From the erectus) who evolved continuously ages share a series of common view of technological and cultural into modern humankind. During their characteristics, with mosaic settings development of early humans, the evolution, a small quantity of genetic occurring between Homo erectus populations in China or even East Asia exchanges occurred between them and and Homo sapiens. Meanwhile, a manifested a consistency and stability foreign populations. small number of properties emerging in terms of behavior and technology, The key issue in the debate in several specific fossils resemble from the whole Paleolithic throughout between the two schools of theories is to those of contemporary Western the early Neolithic, forming an overall whether or not the evolution of early species and differ from those of their pattern dominated by inheritance humans in Asia and Europe had been local cousins. This is believed to be a rather than replacement. This unique disrupted. Since the beginning of the result from genetic exchanges. Based evolutional pattern featuring gradual 20th century, Homo sapiens fossils of on this fact, CAS Member Prof. WU changes had never been interrupted different ages have been found in Dali, Xinzhi proposed the “Continuity with or replaced. About 800,000 years Jinniushan, Maba, Dingcun, Xujiayao, Hybridization” model (Wolpoff, Wu ago, remains of stone tool industry Changyang, Liujiang, Shandingdong & Thorne, 1984) of modern human as sophisticated as contemporary and Ziyang sites, which show that origins in East Asia, concluding that Acheulean technology in the West, the evolution of early human beings the evolution of early human beings like handaxes, appeared at a few sites in China had never been interrupted. in China or even East Asia was in south and middle China; moreover, Very lately, a piece of incomplete continuous with occasions of cross about 30,000 years ago, stone blade fossilized mandible was unearthed breeding. Many anthropologists in technology, which showed some from the Mulanshan site in Chongzuo the West also hold similar stands cultural characteristics that could also City, Guangxi. This specimen had concerning this issue. be found in its Western counterparts some initial anatomic characteristics of Archeology also contributed living in the Upper Paleolithic, modern human, appearing transitional significantly to the research on the emerged in north China. These cultural characters from early human species origin of modern Chinese people characters, however, had just risen to modern human (b in Fig. 2). Judging from stratigraphic correlation and U-series dating results, along with the components of the accompanying mammal fauna, its age should be about 110,000 years old (Jin, et al., 2009). Falling in the early Late Pleistocene, a critical period in human evolution, it has important implications for research in the origin of modern human and the corresponding environmental background. In 2003, some fossils from early modern human were found at the Tianyuandong site at Zhoukoudian (a1 and a2 in Fig. 2). Dating back to 42,000 to 38,500 years ago, this mark the earliest remains of modern human to date found in eastern Eurasia. Most of the characteristics of this specimen were in consistence with those of modern human, but with few characters close to those of the late stage of archaic Homo sapiens, indicating possible genetic flow from the West and the South (Shang, et al., 2007). This fossil evidence sufficiently Fig. 2 Fossils of early humans. (Aa) and (Ab): Early human fossils recently unearthed from Tianyuandong site at demonstrates that the evolution from Zhoukoudian; Chinese or even East Asian Homo (B): The incomplete fossilized mandible of an early human recently found at Mulanshan, erectus to late Homo sapiens was Chongzuo City, Guangxi (Jin et al., 2009; Shang et al., 2007).

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sporadically and meteorically, leaving adaptable to local ecological species and the origin of modern little influence on the local mainstream conditions during their long-term Chinese people are still under dispute culture. In acknowledge of this, battle with nature to survive. The and study. To achieve breakthroughs in scholars proposed that the mainstream key of this set of strategies, which this major area, which greatly concerns populations in Pleistocene China or is named “comprehensive behavior the international academic community, even East Asia had been surviving model (Gao & Pei, 2006),” is to make more valuable and convincing new and multiplying continuously, and the most of the conditions available materials are urgently needed, so their culture had robust vitality, being locally, to keep a harmonious and are an upgraded and improved S&T handing down from generation to friendly relationship with the local platform, to yield crucial scientific generation. “Alien” cultures, which survival environment. They restricted information in fossils and related were occasionally brought in by small their own exploitation of local natural materials. Therefore, more intensive quantities of foreign populations, resources to a mild extent by moving funding and policy support, including briefly disappeared in the face of the frequently, and meanwhile modified polices that would help breaking the dominance of mainstream culture. and assimilated foreign cultures that blockage and monopoly of local fossil An important reason might be the occasionally penetrated in. and ancient cultural resources, and local populations had developed a So far, two central issues in this fostering of related disciplines are of complete set of survival strategies field, the origin of the earliest human critical importance.

References

Gao, X. & Pei, S. W., 2006. An archaeological interpretation of ancient human lithic technology and adaptive strategies in China. Quaternary Sciences, (4): 506–513. (In Chinese) Jin, C. Z., Pan W. S., & Zhang Y. Q., et al., 2009. The Homo sapiens cave hominin site of Mulan Mountain, Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo, Guangxi with emphasis on its age. Chinese Science Bulletin, 54(19): 2848–2856. (In Chinese) Shang H., et al., 2007. An early modern human from Tianyuan Cave, Zhoukoudian, China. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 104(16):6573– 6578. Shen, G. J., Gao, X., Gao, B., et al., 2009. Age of Zhoukoudian Homo erectus determined with 26Al /10Be burial dating. Nature, (458): 198–200. Wolpoff, M. H., Wu, X., Thorne, A., 1984. Modern Homo sapiens origins: A general theory of hominid evolution involving the fossil evidence from East Asia. In: Smith F. H. & Spencer F. The origins of modern humans. New York: Alan F Liss Inc, 411–483. Wu, X. Z., 1999. Chinese human Paleontological study in 20th Century and prospects. Acta Anthropol Sin, 18(3): 165–175. (In Chinese) Xu, Q. H. & Lu, Q. W., 2008. Lufengpithecus lufengensis—an early member of hominidae. Science Press. (In Chinese)

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