Paleolithic-era relics unearthed at China's Nihewan Basin

More than 2,000 relics such as stone tools and ornaments dating back to the Paleolithic era have been discovered at north China's Nihewan ruins area providing evidence of human activities some 13,000 years ago.
The Paleolithic ruins found at Xishuidi village, Yangyuan County in Hebei Province include mammal bone pieces, three ash sites and burnt bones.
The new findings have yet again proved the existence of human beings since ancient times in the Nihewan area along the banks of the Sanggan River, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
These findings are evidence of human activity dating back more than 13,000 years, said Guan Ying, a paleoanthropologist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head of the excavation team.

The ruins of the Nihewan Culture are located between the counties of Yangyuan and Weixian in Hebei, well-known for the discovery of mammal fossils and Old Stone-Age remnants.
Ancient people may have lived in the area some 1.9 million years ago.

Since the 1920s, both Chinese and foreign archaeologists have conducted in-depth studies on Nihewan Culture ruins, leading to a series of discoveries.
In 2001, traces indicating early humans had eaten there were found at the ruins, challenging the theory that mankind originated in Africa.
Excavation work is under way at the new site, the report said.
The Paleolithic era is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered.