Visiting the Zhoukoudian Ape Man Ruins Museum

#0YenTravel2025Autumn

About an hour and a half's drive from central Beijing, we leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind and head to Zhoukoudian, a small town in Fangshan District surrounded by green hills.

Remains of the former home of Peking Man, a distant ancestor of humanity, remain here.

The Zhoukoudian Ape Man Site Museum stands on this World Heritage-listed site.

🚶♀️ Approach to the Museum

The museum is located a short walk up Zhoukoudian Avenue,
a modern building standing alone in the quiet mountains.

The glass facade reads "Zhoukoudian Site Museum."

Although it's a bit far from central Beijing, the scenery along the way is quite pleasant, and as you pass through small villages and fields, you'll feel like you're on a mini-vacation.

🦴 Exhibition Hall - Enter the World of Primitive Man

The first thing you'll encounter upon entering the museum is a realistic recreation of the excavation scene.

There are models of archaeologists in work clothes, a limestone cave illuminated by lights, and a model of Peking Man's skull in a glass case.

The exhibits progress through the stages of discovery, excavation, research, and conservation. Fire-making remains and stone tools offer insight into human life at the time, along with animal bones unearthed—including saber-toothed tigers and ancient deer.

It's a fascinating experience to imagine that such creatures existed around Beijing approximately 700,000 years ago.

🔥 Recreating Fire and Life

A particularly impressive exhibit was the demonstration of Peking Man's use of fire.

In the dark exhibition room, a flickering flame video allows you to experience the moment when humans first acquired fire. This is a time to imagine, even just a little, that distant past, when they struck stones to create sparks and grilled and ate meat.

🕳️ Visit the Ruins Cave

After finishing your tour of the museum, be sure to head outside and visit the ruins area.
A few minutes' walk will take you to the actual cave system where excavations took place.
Beyond the fence are white limestone cliffs and several caves.
When you imagine that Peking Man's bones were discovered here,
you truly feel like you're standing at the "site of human history."

☕ Leaving the Afterglow of a Little Journey

The tour takes about an hour and a half at a leisurely pace. The interior is cool and comfortable, and explanations are written in both English and Japanese. There's also a cafe and a small shop, so it's recommended to stop for tea on your way back while looking out at the surrounding mountains.

Although it's a little far from the city center, this is a unique and special spot where you can travel back in time to Beijing 700,000 years ago.

💡 Travel Notes
• 📍Address: No. 1 Zhoukoudian Avenue, Fangshan District, Beijing
• 🕘 Opening Hours:
• Summer (April-October): 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
• Winter (October-March): 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Closed on Mondays (except public holidays)
• 💰 Admission Fee: NT$30
• 🚗 Access: Approximately 30 minutes by bus or taxi from Liangxiang Nanguan Station on the Fangshan Subway Line
• 🕓 Travel Time: Approximately 2 hours for the museum and ruins