Southwest of Beijing is home to the village of Zhou-kou-dian, which was once home to Peking Man. Since its discovery in the 1920s, the stone-age site has remained a focus of the world's archeologists. On Wednesday, the site held an activity to remember the prehistoric people, who were among the first ever to use fire.

The event opened with an exhibition: "Rekindling the Fire of Human Civilization." On display are vivid pictures and detailed texts introducing Peking Man's discovery and controlled use of fire some 500,000 years ago. In the next few days, a fire will be kindled in a cave once used by the primitive people. It will be kept alight in the nearby Peking Man museum.

The Zhou-kou-dian site was included on the United Nations World Heritage List in the late 1980s. Ash and charcoal remains found on the site are the earliest evidence found so far of the controlled use of fire by human beings.

(CCTV.com April 29, 2004)