Zhiren Cave

Zhiren Cave, located in the Mulan Mountains overlooking the Hejiang River in Chongzuo, Guangxi, China, is an archaeologically significant karstic cave site. It dates back to the early Late Pleistocene, roughly between 116,000 to 106,000 years ago. The site has yielded fossil remains that potentially represent some of the earliest anatomically modern humans in East Asia. These remains, which include two upper molars and an anterior mandible, exhibit a mix of modern and archaic human features. Notably, one of the mandibles has a distinctively modern human chin, suggesting the presence of modern humans in the region earlier than previously thought. The cave also contains fossils of large mammals, with around 25% of the species now extinct, providing insights into the prehistoric ecosystem.