The fossilized lower-jaw of a Yuanmou Man, believed to be the origin of man in China, has been discovered in Yunnan Province in southwest China, and is considered a breakthrough for China's palaeoanthropological research.

From study of the camber of the intact lower jaw much can be learned about the evolution process of the ape-man genus, according to Qi Guoqin, a specialist in the study of ancient vertebrates and palaeoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The first Yuanmou Man, which dates back to around 1.7 million years ago, was discovered in 1965 at Shangnabang Village in Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province. The first finds were two fossil teeth, which were identified as human central upper incisors belonging to one adult. After that, a lower jaw fossil was discovered in 1984, regarded as a key piece of evidence on the evolution of China's pithecanthropus.

China set up a national research program including a probe into whether or not China is the origin of human beings. In addition to the discovery of the lower jaw of Yuanmou Man, more than 80 ape-men teeth, and over one thousand fossils of various species of ancient animals were also unearthed by experts involved in the program.

All these fossils make up an ecological group that, to some extent, show the ancient climate, ecology, geography and even relationships between ape-men and animals, said Qi.

Yunnan is abundant in various pithecanthropus fossils, and one Australian paleoanthropologist said he believes many more finds could be made there if the same amount of manpower and materials were used as that employed at some sites in Africa.

A further excavation project is currently underway.