To mark the 15th anniversary of the site's joining the UNESCO list, a scheme to protect and develop the area will soon be issued by the Beijing Municipal government, which co-manages the site with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

A total area of 2.4 square kilometers in Beijing's southwest suburb has been designated as the protection zone. The park where the research center will be located is expected to serve for research, education and tourism.

A modern museum covering 10,000 square meters will replace of a small and outdated one, which closed half a year ago.

The site is where the first skull of Peking Man dating back 500,000 years was discovered.

Under an agreement signed in August, the CAS is to focus on research and development of the site. The Beijing municipal government will take over maintenance and extend protection controls to surrounding areas.

The site has evidence of the earliest human's use of fire and is known as the only site showing continuous prehistoric human activity between 500,000 and 10,000 years ago. However, six valuable intact skulls were lost during World War II.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2002)