Peking Man site at Zhoukoudian is 48 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing near Longgushan (dragon bone mountain). The site occupies an area of 0.24 square kilometers. It is world famous for its Peking Man fossils as well as its abundant cultural remains which were discovered in the 1920s.

For a long period of time, the local residents of Zhoukoudian have mainly depended on quarrying and mining to maintain their lives. As a result, numerous animal fossils preserved in the caves or fissures were discovered.

Since 1920, eight sites of ancient human remains have been discovered. 118 kinds of animal fossils and over 100,000 stone wares have been unearthed. These fossils and remains serve as evidence of the existence of humanoid species 500,000 years ago in Zhoukoudian.

To protect and conserve the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian well, in 1953, the Peking Man Site Museum was founded and opened to the public, exhibiting over 3,000 cultural relics. The exhibits are mainly composed of fossils of the Peking Man and other animal bones, demonstrating the origin of creatures in prehistory and the transition from ape to human.

The discoveries at Zhoukoudian are of great significance, for the sites date the cultural history of Beijing back to 600,000 years ago. It is could be considered one of the birthplaces of world civilization. These cultural relics are very valuable in the study of the origin and evolution of the human species.

The site of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian was formally inscribed on the "World Heritage List" in December 1987 at the eleventh session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The inscription of the Peking Man Site on the World Heritage List confirms the exceptional and universal value of the cultural site which requires protection for the benefit of all humanity. The site is therefore not only of China, but also of the world as a whole.