What is currently (un)known about the Chinese Acheulean, with implications for hypotheses on the earlier dispersal of hominids

Progress in research on the different handaxe-bearing regions of China is making study of the Acheulean a dynamic field in the Chinese Palaeolithic. Given the separate history of these developments, in this paper we integrate the latest achievements in the four key Acheulean regions in China (namely, Dingcun, Bose, Luonan and Danjiangkou Reservoir Region). Based on this, and combined with our own observations of materials from these four regions, we summarize what is currently known about the Chinese Acheulean and propose those questions that are still awaiting resolution. Finally, we consider five arguments that are highly relevant to the origins of the Acheulean techno-complex in China. From this synthesis, we suggest that the technological transmission hypothesis might be a suitable explanation for the emergence of Chinese handaxe technology, and we provide supporting data for the migration of Acheulean hominids from west to east in the Early Palaeolithic period.