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In the Mesozoic Era, gigantic dinosaurs could be
found strolling among the tropical and sub-tropical plants in
marshlands and forests. One day in the Cretaceous Period, all of
these herbivores disappeared mysteriously. Tens of thousands of
years later, people found their fossils under the stratum of
Lufeng County in central Yunnan. In Jinning, beside Dianchi Lake,
there are also 200 dinosaurs footprints left in the Jurassic
Period. Yunnan is one of the birth places of
mankind. Between 10 and 15 million years ago, a kind of apeman
came down from the trees to the ground, leaving traces from
Yuanmou in central Yunnan to Kaiyuan in southern Yunnan. Between
1956 to 1957, fossils of "Lama Ape Man" were discovered in the
coal layers at Xiaolongtan, Kaiyuan. They are the earliest example
of man in the Chinese geologic age. Later, scientists found a
fossil of "Yuanmou Xiaohe Ancient Ape", which has more
characteristics of modern man.In May 1965, paleoanthropologists
discovered the fossil of "Yuanmou Ape Man", the ancestor of the
Chinese people, who lived more than 1.7 million years ago. During
the long Paleolithic Age, Yunnan became more prosperous. Early
Homo Sapiens lived in Zhaotong, and in later stages they lived in
Lijiang, Kunming, Xichou, Pupiao and Yaoguan. With the coming of
the Neolithic Age, many nationalities and tribes lived together on
this vast land stretching from northeastern Yunnan to the Lancang
River Valley, from the middle and upper reaches of the Jinsha
River to the Erhai and Dianchi lakes. They created diversified
folk traditions and strong inter-relationships. Yunnan is also an
important passage for migration between different tribes. People
could move freely and seek their ideal place to live. They
travelled far greater distances and shared cultural exchanges far
more widely than we can imagine. In this ancient corridor there
lived many different peoples, including the Baipu, Baiyue, Miao,
Yao, Di and Qiang ethnic tribes. They pushed forward human
civilization along the ancient rivers. Entering
Yunnan, you will find the colorful plateau culture. Entering
Yunnan, you will experience the rich ancient human civilization. |
