Paleolithic stone tools reflect cultural links

CHANGCHUN -- Chinese archaeologists have found new Paleolithic sites in Northeast China's Jilin province that show similar stone tool-making techniques to those found in Russia and the Korean Peninsula from the same period.

The provincial cultural relics institute said that it has found 12 Paleolithic sites dating back 10,000 to 20,000 years and collected 1,362 stone items in Wangqing County, located to the east of Changbai Mountain.

Xu Ting, an official with the institute, said the archeologists have not yet started excavation. The relics, made from materials including firestone, quartz, agate and obsidian, were collected from the sites. More findings can be expected after a comprehensive excavation.

He said the sites showed "industrialized" stone tool production. Many stone tools were thin and made with a double-sided processing technique, similar to stone tools of the same period found in Russia's Far East and the Korean Peninsula.

The experts believe that further research on the sites will provide more evidence to show that a "cultural corridor" appeared during the Paleolithic age.

Xu said future archaeological study in Wangqing will focus on human migration, production and life in the region.