Ahli geologi Swedia, [[Johan Gunnar Andersson]] pertama kali memulai eksplorasinya di wilayah pada tahun [[1918 dalam arkeologi|1918]] di sebuah daerah yang disebut ''Bukit tulang ayam'' oleh penduduk setempat yang telah salah mengidentifikasi fosil hewan pengerat yang berlimpah di sana,<ref name="unesco0">{{cite web | url = http://www.unesco.org/ext/field/beijing/whc/pkm-site.htm | title = The Peking Man World Heritage Site at Zhoukoudian | accessdate = 2008-04-20| author = | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = | year = | month = | work = | publisher = [[UNESCO]] | pages = | doi = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | quote = In February 1918, Johann Gunnar Andersson, a famous Swedish geologist and archaeologist, was told that there were some fossils at what was called Chicken-bone Hill near Zhoukoudian. He was then serving as an adviser on mineral affairs in the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce of the Chinese Government. He showed much interest and, in the following month, made a survey at the hill where a lot of rodent fossil was collected. The rodent fossil was taken as chicken bones by local people and the Chicken-bone Hill was so named. The latter is nominated later as Locality 6 of the Peking Man Site. This discovery of the locality is not so important, but the survey led to a series of investigations in the region.}}</ref>
