CHENGDU, May 17 (Xinhua) — A multifunctional complex designed to host archaeological exhibitions, research activities, and tourist visits will be constructed at the Piluo site, a large-scale Paleolithic archaeological site in Sichuan Province, southwest China.
With a total investment of approximately 240 million yuan (about 33.4 million U.S. dollars), the project officially commenced construction on Sunday in Daocheng County, Sichuan Province, at an altitude of 3,750 meters.
Covering approximately one million square meters, the Piluo site is a rare large-scale Paleolithic wilderness ruin. Preliminary dating results showed that the age of the upper strata of the Piluo site was no later than 130,000 years ago.
More than 15,000 stone artifacts from multiple Paleolithic cultural layers have been unearthed at the site, displaying the development process of Paleolithic culture in general, and how early humans adapted to extremely high-altitude environments, according to an introduction of the site posted on the official website of the Sichuan provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institute.
Spanning a total area of 13,581 square meters, the new complex will include exhibition spaces, research facilities, and visitor service areas. In addition to displaying artifacts and supporting academic research, the space will also host tourist activities and offer essential amenities. The construction of the complex is expected to be completed by December 2027.
Upon completion, the project will assist archaeological excavations at the Piluo site, facilitate research and help open up the site to the public with exhibitions of unearthed artifacts, noted He Zhenhua, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration.
The Piluo site has been listed as one of China’s top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2021. A joint archaeological team from the Sichuan provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institute and Peking University (PKU) participated in the excavation work.
Paleolithic tools unearthed at the site, including hand axes and thin-blade axes, are now recognized as the world’s highest-altitude findings of Acheulean technology. Acheulean technology refers to a prehistoric stone tool technology known for sophisticated hand axes.
According to a news bulletin posted on the official news website of Peking University (PKU), the discovery of Acheulean relics at the Piluo site “provides crucial new evidence in the exploration of the origin, distribution, and dissemination of Acheulean technology and the cultural exchange of related ancient humans in East Asia.”
Daocheng County, where the Piluo site is located, is a renowned tourist destination in Sichuan known for its breathtaking scenery of snow mountains, glacial lakes and alpine meadows.
Local authorities plan to promote the “coordinated development of the Piluo site and surrounding tourism resources to build Daocheng into a world-class tourist attraction,” according to Lang Jie, head of Daocheng’s tourism authorities. ■
