ABSTRACT

Only a decade has passed since the analysis of microlithic remains was incorporated within Palaeolithic studies in China. Previously, this research fell entirely within the purview of Neolithic archaeology (An 1958; Pei 1963; Teilhard and Pei 1944), but, as a result of the discovery during the past 10 years of large quantities of microlithic artifacts in a number of Chinese Palaeolithic sites, great changes have taken place in the research techniques employed and resulting conclusions concerning China’s microlithic cultures. One of the most important of these fundamental changes has been the recognition that these microlithic industries represent an important link between China’s Late Palaeolithic cultures and those of the Early Neolithic.