Abstract The Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) site, which was excavated in 1921, is one of the most important ancient human sites in China and in the world as well. From the perspective of the history of transnational science, this paper summarizes the history of the excavation of Zhoukoudian and the research that has been done into related fossil and human remains. It argues that Zhoukoudian was the birthplace of palaeoanthropology and the stimulus for the establishment of Paleolithic archaeology as a field in China. The Zhoukoudian site preserves traces of prehistoric human activities that date from 700 000 to 10 000 years ago, including human fossils, stone artefacts, ornaments and mammalian fossils. Thus, it still remains the most abundant, systematic and valuable site of its kind in the world, as well as being a very important geoheritage site.

Abstract Fossil clam shrimp are widely distributed in the Jurassic terrestrial sediments of China. The Yanliao Biota, consisting of abundant and diverse well-preserved fossil vertebrates and invertebrates, is one of the most famous Mesozoic terrestrial biotas from around the world. The border area between western Liaoning, northern Hebei and southeastern Inner Mongolia is the core area for the biota. Clam shrimp are abundant and widely distributed in different localities in the area. Research on these clam shrimp has been conducted for decades. However, with advances in research instruments and technologies, great changes have taken place in the taxonomy of these clam shrimp and, consequently, our understanding of the biota in recent years. The fossil content of the Yanliao Biota in the core area consists of an early assemblage and a late assemblage, which are characterized by distinctly different clam shrimp. These clam shrimp all belong to one family: Triglyptidae. Members of the family are widely distributed in the Bathonian to Kimmeridgian of northeastern, northwestern and southwestern China.