WHAT: RASBJ Excursion to the Peking Man archeological site at Zhoukoudian, with commentary by paleontologist Prof. Thomas Stidham.
WHEN: Sunday Oct. 10, 2021 from 8:20 AM – 4:30 PM (traffic-dependent)

HOW MUCH: RASBJ members RMB 450, non-members RMB 500 (includes transport from the St. Regis to Zhoukoudian and back, commentary, entry tickets, insurance, audio phones, water, lunch).
HOW TO JOIN: Please scan the QR code below to express interest, and arrange payment to event organizer Ying by Oct 5; she’ll also need everyone’s passport info for entry tickets and insurance. Seats are limited and will be allocated based on payment date/time.  PLEASE BRING PASSPORTS, WEAR A MASK AT THE SITE, AND ENSURE YOUR HEALTH APPS WILL SHOW GREEN WHEN SCANNED.

TRANSPORT: The bus leaves 8:20 AM from the St. Regis Hotel parking lot, #21 Jianguomenwai Dajie, tel: 6460 6688  (near Jianguomen subway station).

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT:
Discoveries made at this UNESCO heritage site feature in some of the most famous stories in archeological history.  Dr. Thomas Stidham will guide us through the Zhoukoudian Museum, introducing us to our ancient relatives such as Homo erectus, the first human residents of Beijing.  His expert commentary will highlight the history of the site and the importance of its fossils in reconstructing human evolution. He will also guide us through the fossil cave sites on Dragon Bone Hill, where world-famous fossils and artifacts were excavated from 1929-1937.  We’ll see fossils related to the extinct saber-toothed tigers, hyenas and vultures and learn from Dr. Stidham about the impact of climate change on the fauna of Beijing.

ABOUT THE COMMENTATOR:
Dr. Thomas Stidham is a professor of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. With a lifelong passion for fossils and natural history, he is a leading expert on the fossil record and evolution of birds around the world from their dinosaurian origins to the present day. Through his career, he has studied fossil birds from early human sites across Africa and China, including Zhoukoudian.

THE SCHEDULE:
08:20  Depart from the St. Regis Hotel.
09:30 (est) Arrive at the entrance to the Zhoukoudian Peking Man museum, scan health apps.
09:40 Chinese Academy of Sciences paleontologist Dr. Thomas Stidham begins his tour of the museum.
11:50 Then we’ll visit the UNESCO Zhoukoudian caves for Dr. Stidham’s tour of major fossil cave sites.
13:20 End the tour and depart for the Design restaurant (about ten minutes’ drive from the Peking man sites).
13:30 We’ll enjoy a relaxed Chinese-style lunch at a former Soda Factory. (The Fangshan Soda Factory was closed in 1983 and renovated over four years by an Italian designer. Now it’s an art center including a restaurant, galleries and post-graduate training base in arts and design.)
14:45 Depart for the return to Beijing
16:30 (est) Arrive back at the St. Regis.