The Peking Man site at Zhoukoudian is facing unprecedented
threat from human and natural disaster. Experts warned that it
might be taken off the World Heritage Site list if no action is
taken to protect it. Among 27 locations that are regarded as of
high archeological value, 21 are in danger of collapse, a
conference on the protection of Zhoukoudian was told Tuesday.
When Pei Wenzhong astonished the world with his finding of the
Peking Man skull at Shandingdong on Dec. 2, 1929, the cave was
complete. Now half of the cave is exposed to the elements, said Mou
Huichong, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences
(CAS).
Four experts from the CAS began surveying the geological
conditions around the site Oct. 9. It is the first survey of the
site since it was included in the World Heritage Site list in
1987.
Several caves with Peking man relics are located in unstable
hills. A major rain storm can cause landslides, destroying
important heritage as well as discouraging tourists, said Mou.
Experts with the CAS said earthquakes, explosions and trains
could contribute to the dangerous geological conditions.
There were also stone quarries and cement factories near the
site. Explosions from the stone quarries rocked the hills and acid
rain caused by the cement factories eroded the rocks.
There is a railway line not far from the site and as trains
pass, they cause vibrations in the hills.
Improper archeological excavation and weathering were also
reasons for the deterioration of the site.
Liu Guangyu, head of the Zhoukoudian Protection Committee, said the
committee had always been short of funds. If no action was taken,
the site might be dropped from the World Heritage Site list.
An official with the Zhoukoudian management office said the
survey report would be studied by experts later this month. If
everything went smoothly, repair work would begin in March 2004, he
said.
The management office is now clearing the factories away from
the site and moving residents out of the area.
The whole protection project would need up to 100 million yuan
(US$12.5m), said the official.
Located some 42 km southwest of Beijing, Zhoukoudian is where
the first skull fragments of Peking Man were found, dating back
500,000 years. It preserves evidence of the earliest human use of
fire and is the only site continuously inhabited by prehistoric man
between 500,000 and 10,000 years ago.
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(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2003)
