Shuidonggou (Chinese: 水洞溝) is located in Linhe (臨河) Town, Lingwu (靈武) City, Ningxia (寧夏) Region, China. Besides the first prehistoric archaeological site in China, Shuidonggou also has the relics of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty.
In 1923, two French biologists dug out a large number of stone tools and animal fossils in Shuidonggou, making it China’s earliest excavated site of the Old Stone Age (300 million to 10 thousand years ago) and the ‘Birthplace of Prehistoric Archaeology in China’.
Outside the museum, there is a Late Paleolithic archaeological site, the construction of the above ground has long gone, only the base is left.
Zhang San Xiaodian (張三小店) was an old guesthouse where the two French biologists stayed, now it becomes one of the tourist attractions in Shuidonggou.
There are some ‘props’ outside the Zhang San Xiaodian, which looks like a cowboy movie set.
Shuidonggou Great Wall was an important defense base during the Ming Dynasty. Shuidonggou preserves a number of military relics, such as beacon, fortress and military base.
Tourists can climb up the relics and enjoy the panoramic view of the desert around Shuidonggou.
The relics of the Great Wall at the Shuidonggou Site are known today as the East Line of the Ming Great Wall. It was made by piling up rammed earth 10 to 14 meters tall, and is still standing solid after years of wind and rain.
