Proving that human beings on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have the same ancestry and origin fills the gap in the archaeology of ancient humans in the Taiwan Strait
Fossils of paleontology that emerge from the waters of the Xiangzhi Sea
The fossils of the "Strait People" were first produced in the Xiangzhi Sea
The fossil of "Strait People" was identified by Academician Jia Lanpo as an ancient human humerus fossil (photo provided by Shaochuan)
Some coastal fishermen even refer to the seabed salvage (that is, "good brothers") as a "beacon" in their hearts, which shows the status of "good brothers" in their hearts. The picture shows the lighthouse by the xiangzhi sea.
Academician Jia Lanpo's inscription for the "Strait People" (photo provided by Shaochuan)
Many fishing boats are moored in Xiangzhi Port every day
Liu Zhicheng transported back to Quanzhou in that year a huge prehistoric animal fragment fossil (data map)
The third "Strait Man" bone fossil found in 2009 (data map)
Liu Zhicheng is still paying attention to the archaeological discoveries on both sides of the strait
On the sea outside Xiangzhi Town, fishing boats shuttle fishing every day
The "Strait People" fossil in the showcase tells the ancient memory of the Taiwan Strait
The first and second "Strait People" fossils (data map)
In 1999, Liu Zhicheng (right) and Lin Shaochuan showed people some of the fossils in the water of Shishi Xiangzhi (photo courtesy of Shaochuan)
Xiangyu Village Wanyin Palace is located on the seashore
Recently, people's dailys, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily and other media have prominently and detailedly reported on the front page the protection of the Paleolithic ruins of Sanming Wanshouyan in Fujian Province, which is known as "Southern Zhoukoudian" by the industry. 20 years ago, Comrade Xi Jinping, then acting governor of Fujian Province, twice gave instructions to the Wanshouyan site, taking measures to rescue cultural relics and protect them as a whole, retaining important historical evidence for the homogeneity of prehistoric culture in Fujian and Taiwan. 22 years ago, in the waters around Shishi Xiangzhi in Quanzhou, the fossils of "Strait People" were accidentally discovered, which also confirmed the integration of prehistoric Fujian and Taiwan and filled the gap in the archaeology of ancient humans in the Taiwan Strait. Today, let's uncover the story behind the discovery and protection of the "Straits People" fossil.
□ reporter Wu Zhenyun text/photo (except for the signature)
The black-brown bones hide mysteries
Quanzhou's coastline is winding and winding, 541 kilometers long, with a sea area of 11,360 square kilometers, including 208 large and small islands. In Shishi Xiangzhi Town, across the 5,000 reefs to the direction of Chicken Fish Reef, there is a section of coastline with high upturned ends, showing a swallowtail ridge similar to the buildings of southern Fujian, and like an open arm embracing the sea. The shore here is full of large stones carved into simplicity by the years, the beach is almost sandless, the reefs protruding from the sea are rough and resolute, and the coastal headlands are like a barrier, and the rolling ocean currents here instantly become soft and calm. The area from 5,000 Reef to Chicken Fish Reef is also part of the Taiwan Strait, and in 1998, the fossils of "Strait People" were first released in this area. The reporter interviewed a number of parties and restored the experience of this major discovery.
One day in November 1998, Cai Jiufang of the Xiangzhi Telecommunications Station in Shishi City encountered fishermen coming ashore with undersea salvage in plastic bags on the seashore around Xiangzhi 5,000 Reefs. Out of curiosity, Cai Jiufang opened the bag and looked at it, revealing a black-brown bone similar to antlers, which was weighed in his hand, and the bones were slightly heavier than the animal bones that were usually seen. This reminded him of the recent period when fishermen often fished for different types of animal skeletons in the nearby seas, and these skeletons were also stacked in a small temple called "Wanyin Temple" (also known as "Wanyin Temple") in Xiangyu Village. Cai Jiufang muttered darkly in his heart. Back at the telecommunications station, he immediately called Lin Shaochuan, a reporter for the Quanzhou Evening News Overseas Edition, hoping to get in touch with Liu Zhicheng, an archaeologist at the Quanzhou Overseas Transportation History Museum, through Shaochuan, in order to solve the mystery in his heart. Who would have thought that it was this phone call that knocked on the door of the "Strait Man" fossil archaeology.
Quanzhou, a famous historical and cultural city in China, contains a large number of precious historical and cultural relics, including the sites and relics of prehistoric civilizations. "Black bones shaped like antlers?" After receiving Cai Jiufang's phone call, Lin Shaochuan, a reporter with a history major, sniffed out a special taste from this clue with his excellent journalistic sensitivity, and he vaguely felt that there must be a "mystery" in it. So he grabbed the phone to contact the archaeologist Liu Zhicheng and relayed what Cai Jiufang said.
Liu Zhicheng was shocked to hear this, and the archaeological experience accumulated over the years told him that this slightly heavier bone was most likely a fossil. Without further ado! Liu Zhicheng immediately agreed with Lin Shaochuan on a date to go to Xiangzhi for investigation.
On the appointed day, Liu Zhicheng, Lin Shaochuan and archaeology enthusiast Fang Shunfa took a ride to the Xiangzhi Telecommunications Station and found the long-awaited Cai Jiufang. The "Wanyin Palace" is not far from the telecommunications station, and under the guidance of Cai Jiufang, a group of people hurried to this small temple by the sea.
The skeletons of the seabed are piled up in the Wanyin Palace
Xiangzhi Port, a vibrant fishing port. Fishing boats returning from daily voyages slowly dock here, fresh catches are transported ashore by crane basket by basket, fishermen, crew, traders bustling around, laboring crowds, cheerful scenes, busy docks, constitute the most attractive scenery of the fishing port. It is also the place where Nanyin ancient music has been passed down from generation to generation, and strolling along the seashore will inadvertently float out of the nearby houses to the moving melody of Nanyin strings.
Compared with the bustling and lively pier, the Wanyin Palace in Xiangyu Village is much more isolated. This small palace temple is located in a small highland by the sea, consisting of two huts (now three), the palace temple banner is written "Wan yin temple", the next inscription is "Ten square white bones return to the ancestral hall, yin land red heart Youde people", the main hall has the "East Sea Calendar Altar", "Shanhai Wanyin Gong" god throne, and "altar Narcissus Wang Ma" spiritual seat. Another room is the "Hidden Remains Room", which contains the bones of many fishermen fished from the seabed, with incense burners lit with incense, candles in front, and people come to burn gold and silver paper to pray for peace. Cai Jiufang told Liu Zhicheng and others that due to the influence of Shishi coastal folklore, Xiangzhi fishermen in the production operation, such as salvaging bones, whether human or animal, must be wrapped in red paper and put into red plastic bags, brought to the Wanyin Temple to burn incense, worship, and then pile the bones together, and then pick a day to bury or burn. It is said that the "sea seekers" in southern Fujian collectively refer to these sea remains as "good brothers", and even built a "tomb of good brothers" for them, which is a custom that has been passed down for thousands of years.
Cai Jiufang took out bags of skeletons placed by fishermen in the Wanyin Palace for examination. Liu Zhicheng picked up a few bones from them and was ecstatic, because as soon as he looked at the bones, he knew that they should be fossils. "Black is fossil, white has not yet become fossil. Look at its weight, look at its color. The color of the bone becomes darker, and it is much heavier than the average bone in the hand, and the harder the texture, the more likely it is to be a fossil. In general, the darker the color and the heavier the weight, the deeper it is petrified. Liu Zhicheng explained.
On the same day, Liu Zhicheng and Lin Shaochuan brought dozens of suspected fossils picked up back to Quanzhou for study. After another week, Liu Zhicheng hired a car with Fang Shunfa to drive from Quanzhou to Wanyin Palace in Xiangyu Village, and spent a day picking up 33 bags of suspected fossils of different sizes and bringing them back to Quanzhou. Later, they asked Zhang Heping, a lover of quanzhou literature and history, to help classify these suspected fossils, and lined up a large stone cheng, including bones from ancient vertebrates. Liu Zhicheng and Zhang Heping picked out a suspected human bone fossil from it. Liu Zhicheng took this suspected fossil bone to the anatomy room of Quanzhou Health School, compared it with the human skeleton model, and then carefully read an anatomy book of the former Soviet Union, took the bone to compare the bone diagram inside, and finally determined that this was the right humerus of the human. But it was obviously not enough to prove that this was a fossil, so Liu Zhicheng decided to find an authoritative expert in the industry to identify it.
Fossil specimens were collected in many places
When Liu Zhicheng appeared at the door of the Archaeology Department of the Department of History of Xiamen University with this suspected fossil of human right humerus, Cai Baoquan, an expert in paleovertebrate zoology and professor of the department, was very happy and asked about the ins and outs of the bones. Later, Mr. Cai said he wanted to put the suspected fossil in his place for further research. After returning to Quanzhou, Liu Zhicheng told Wang Renqiu, then director of the Shishi City Cultural Center, about the discovery of a large number of suspected vertebrate fossils in the Taiwan Strait. Wang Renqiu was very happy and said that he would pay close attention to the seabed salvage that came out of the water in the Shishi area.
Soon, Cai Baoquan came to Quanzhou to carry out scientific research and investigation, and Liu Zhicheng, Lin Shaochuan, Zhang Heping, and Fang Shunfa accompanied Cai Baoquan to the docks of Xiangzhi, the seashore, and the Wanyin Palace to conduct on-site investigation. They told Tsai Baoquan about the fishermen's appearance of suspected fossils at that time, and where the water was basically located in the Taiwan Strait. Cai Baoquan made a detailed record of this. Later, they went to the dock port of Yongning Town to investigate, and found a large tomb on a hillside, the tombstone was engraved with "Tomb of Good Brothers", Lin Shaochuan quickly took this rare picture. According to local fishermen, the remnants of black bones they salvaged from the Taiwan Strait are also buried here. Some coastal fishermen even refer to the seabed salvage (i.e., "good brothers") as a "beacon" in their hearts, believing that bringing them back for burial can show themselves the direction at sea in the future. Liu Zhicheng said that at that time, at the ancient dockside, he saw that there were more than a meter thick bones burned, some of which were not burned, some of which were burned to pieces, and some of which were still intact.
Later, after hearing that there was also a custom of burning seabed salvage in the area of Donghai, Quanzhou, Liu Zhicheng, Zhang Heping and Fang Shunfa went to Xiapu to investigate. Finally, in a small temple by the sea in Xiapu, many suspected bone fossils were found that were burned and broken, and Liu Zhicheng and his party immediately retrieved some of the bones for future study.
After more than a month, the news came from Professor Cai Baoquan's office: according to the preliminary identification of the Archaeology Department of Xiamen University, the black bones brought by Liu Zhicheng and others were indeed fossils of human right humerus. However, due to the limited equipment used for archaeological research at Xiamen University at that time, in order to ensure the accuracy of the identification, Cai Baoquan suggested taking this human right humerus to Beijing and asking experts to re-identify the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This proposal is supported.
In early February 1999, the Shishi City Cultural Center received news that Xiangzhi fishermen had found a large number of black-brown bones during fishing operations. Li Guohong, the librarian at the time, rushed to the scene and collected more than 400 fossil specimens from the Wanyin Ancestral Hall in Xiangyu Village, including relatively complete fossil specimens such as ancient prism teeth, Dawei four-unlike antlers, sambar deer skulls, and buffalo metacarpal bones. In order not to let the prehistoric logistics fall outside, Wang Renqiu, Li Guohong and others went to Dongpu, Wubao, Gufu and Meilin in Yongning Town of Xiangzhi Town to investigate, and carried out a "carpet" collection, and successively collected more than 100 fossil specimens. Soon, with the help of the Xiangzhi Elderly Association, they collected more than 800 fossil specimens again in the Wanyin Palace of Xiangyu Village. Subsequently, the Cultural Center invited Professor Cai Baoquan and Zhang Zhenbiao, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to Shishi to identify the collected materials. According to the cultural center's report, the identification confirmed that the collected fossils included at least 8 genera species, including bears, wild horses, wild boars, buffalo, four-parts (elk), sambar deer, Asian elephants, and double-horned rhinos.
The fossils of the "Straits People" are famous at home and abroad
In the summer of 1999, Cai Baoquan took advantage of the summer vacation time to take the human right humerus provided by Liu Zhicheng and others to Beijing, found Jia Lanpo, a researcher and academician of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and asked him to help identify it. After listening to the discovery of this human bone fossil, Mr. Jia Lanpo was very happy and promised to do the identification on the spot. Soon, the identification came out, reaffirming the previous judgment, which was a late Pleistocene (about 126,000 to 10,000 years ago) human right humerus fossil! Jia Lao said excitedly: "This is a human humerus fossil, the degree of petrification is very high, the age is relatively early, this discovery is very important." On the issue of fossil naming, Jia Lanpo fully agreed with the proposal of Liu Zhicheng and others to name "Strait People", and gladly inscribed the three words "Strait People" to show congratulations.
On September 2, 1999, after returning from Beijing, Cai Baoquan called Liu Zhicheng and told him that according to Jia Lanpo's identification results, the "Strait People" fossil could be made public. Liu Zhicheng got in touch with Lin Shaochuan and suggested that he report it. In the afternoon of the same day, the Quanzhou Evening News agency sent a car led by Liu Zhicheng to take Lin Shaochuan and another reporter, Li Lan, to Xiamen University for an interview. Lin Shaochuan interviewed Professor Cai Baoquan there, took photos of the fossils, and rushed to report the press release overnight. On September 3, 1999, a report written by Lin Shaochuan entitled "Quanzhou Discovered Tens of Thousands of Years Ago "Strait People" Fossils" was published in quanzhou Evening News, exclusively disclosing the experience of "Strait people" out of the water. As soon as the report came out, it caused a sensation at home and abroad, and many well-known Chinese media, including the Taiwan region, as well as some foreign newspapers and magazines reprinted and reported on it. Later, this journalism work of only more than 800 words was awarded the first prize of Fujian Provincial Journalism, and won the second prize of the 10th (1999) China Journalism Award, which was also the highest award won by fujian journalism that year. After reading the report, many Fujian and Taiwan scholars said that they were happy to find physical evidence of prehistoric Fujian-Taiwan integration in the Taiwan Strait. CCTV reported on the Evening News twice on September 6 and 7, 1999, and the "Approaching Science" column team came to Shishi to shoot a 10-minute feature film "Since Ancient Ben is a Family", which was broadcast on December 15, 2019. The "Straits People" made a name for themselves.
Soon, the staff of the Shishi City Museum selected a human humerus fossil from the fossils of Wanyin Palace in Xiangyu Village, which was the second "Strait Man" fossil; in May 2009, a third "Strait Man" skeleton fossil was found in Donghai Xiapu Village, Quanzhou.
A major breakthrough in the archaeological history of Fujian and Taiwan
After studying the first "Strait Man" fossil, Cai Baoquan once wrote that the human fossil was highly petrified, and the early steps were set to 11,000-26,000 years ago. The "Strait Man" fossil has the characteristics of thicker humerus, broad muscle augmentation, large angle formation in the upper and lower halves of the backbone, and high incidence of angles. These characteristics were an important natural adaptation of early hunter-gatherer populations.
The "Straits Man" fossil provides an important material for the comparison of human fossils in mainland China and Taiwan, and the special geographical location of the "Strait People" fossils provides direct evidence for the migration of ancient humans from the mainland to Taiwan Island. Also in the Taiwan Strait, in addition to human fossils, the specimens collected in Quanzhou also have bone tools and scraping marks left on the mandibles and limb bones of animals when hunting by ancient humans, while Taiwan finds artificial cut marks on four antlers, which provide good materials for studying the collection objects and hunting methods of early humans in the Taiwan Strait, and increase the comparability of early human behavior research on both sides of the strait. At the same time, Cai Baoquan believes that the discovery of the "Strait Man" fossil also provides valuable materials for the study of the origin of modern humans in East Asia.
Liu Zhicheng said that the "Strait People" skeleton fossils and a large number of paleontological fossils have been discovered, indicating that before the formation of the Taiwan Strait, there were many primitive people and primitive creatures living in this place. The "Straits people" live by gathering, hunting, and even fishing for fish and shrimp, so the "Straits people" have strong bones. "Up to now, the total number of terrestrial mammal fossils found in the Shishi Sea has reached more than 10,000, with a total of 28 species, including 1 primate, 1 rodent, 7 carnivorous, 3 proboscis, 4 odd ungulates, and 12 even ungulates. They are the 'Strait People', porcupines, wolves, bears, hyenas, Przewalski's wild horses, wild donkeys, frontal horned rhinoceros, woolly rhinoceros, saber-toothed elephants, mammoths, ancient prisms, wild boars, Dawei four-less deer and so on. It is somewhat surprising that species such as woolly rhinos and mammoths have also lived in the Taiwan Strait region. This suggests that during the Ice Age, mammoths and woolly rhinos traveled south to the Taiwan Strait region, where the climate was suitable for their survival. When the climate in the Taiwan Strait region rose, they migrated north again.
Scholars have found that the "Straits People" have the ability to original manufacturing processes and use tools. For example, the "Strait People" processed the shoulder blades of cattle into "bone knives", which were quite sharp. Compared to stone tools, bone tools are not only equally tough, but also very lightweight. It can be seen that at that time, the Taiwan Strait was a land area, and the "strait people" needed to constantly evolve, manufacture and use tools in order to survive in the harsh environment surrounded by beasts of prey.
The discovery of three "Strait People" skeleton fossils and the ancient human fossils found in Taiwan's Penghu Islands prove that humans on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same origin. These discoveries are major breakthroughs in the archaeological history of Fujian and Taiwan, filling the gap in the archaeological archeology of the Taiwan Strait. They provide an important scientific basis for the scientific identification of the physical characteristics of the "Strait people", and also once again prove the indisputable fact of the integration of Fujian and Taiwan from ancient times to the period when Taiwan became a land. At the same time, it provides the earliest, most direct and most powerful evidence for the study of the historical origin of "Tangshan crossing Taiwan".
Facing and cherishing history
Shishi Xiangzhi Town is filled with a rich and simple atmosphere of southern Fujian, where the fishing village buildings, houses, old houses, and ancient ancestral shrines are still showing an intoxicating and different style despite the wind and rain. In the distance, there are both fishing boats shuttling fishing and huge freighters breaking the waves, which present a different visual beauty against the background of the vast sea. The scene in front of us seems to be difficult to associate with those black-brown human fossils from tens of thousands of years ago. But that's where the value and significance of cultural relics come in, and they always remind us where our roots lie and how much we should be in awe of history.
"The protection of historical relics is a responsibility entrusted to everyone by national law and an important part of the implementation of sustainable development strategies. As a non-renewable precious cultural relics resource, the Paleolithic cave site of Wanshouyan belongs not only to us, but also to future generations, and no individual or unit can destroy the interests of the whole society and future generations in order to seek immediate or partial interests. In the Sanming Wanshouyan Site Museum, in addition to the precious stone tools and fossils of animals and plants on display, a note from Comrade Xi Jinping, who was then the acting governor of Fujian Province in January 2000, was particularly eye-catching. Historical relics are the precious heritage left to us by our ancestors, and only by knowing how to respect history can we better create the future.
Today, three "Strait People" fossils are treasured by the Shishi City Museum. Quanzhou Museum and China Mintaiyuan Museum also collect and exhibit replicas of the "Straits People" fossils. These fossils carrying information about prehistoric civilization are appreciated and observed by citizens and tourists in the display cabinet every day, and at the same time, they are silently telling the past events of the Taiwan Strait. An unearthed artifact, an archaeological story, is enough to immerse every visitor in the memory of thousands of years of history. Just as Liu Yuzhu, secretary of the party group and director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said, in the protection of cultural heritage, we need to unite knowledge and action, cherish history, cherish culture, and only in this way can we shoulder the glorious mission of continuing the urban context. For the people on both sides of the strait, the fossil of the "Strait People" is exactly what we are facing and cherishing of the history of Fujian and Taiwan.