Abstract: In spring 1982, an archaeological team was sent to Caohai region in the southwest Gut zhou province for survey of the palaeoliths and Quaternary mammalian fossils. We have di_x001F_scovered a site bearing artifacts and some mammalian fossils lying underground about 1 m. This site is situated on the southern border of the Caohai near the village called Wangjia- yuan2i and is 17 km. away from Weining county.
The present paper deals with a preliminary observation of the locality and contains a brief study of palaeoliths collected in the field. The fossils found from the locality are, on the whole, fragmentary and moderately mineralized. The fauna are listed as follows:
Stegodon sp.
Equus sp.
Bovinae gen. et sp. indet.
Cervus sp.
Rusa sp.
Axis weiningensis (sp. nov.)
41 artifacts which are mostly made of flint were discovered in this site, and the artifacts may be grouped into cores, flakes and tools. There are 4 cores and 4 flakes. The striking platform is flat. The angles between the striking platform and main flake surface are either less than 90° (as seen on the core) or more than 90° (as seen on the flake). The pe- mission point is clear and the bulb of percussion is small. Thus it can be seen that these specimens were made by direct hammering method. The flakes are triangular or trapezium in shape. There are shallow scars either on worked surface of the core or on the dorsal surface of the flake. The points above mentioned indicate that the ancient man lived in Caohai have advanced new level on technique of the removed flake. The number of tools made ot the flake (56.2%) are more than those of made of the block (43.7%), The tools are larger (Most of them are more than 40 mm. in length) and may be divided into two types: scrapers and points. The scrapers can be subdivided into seven sub-types and the points have only two sub-types (Table 2). All tools were made by direct hammering way and most of them were retouched on both surfaces by complex mode. Besides, a few pieces were trimmed on the dorsal surface or main flake surface, and the other specimens were chipped on both sides by inverse mode or on one side struck face to face. By these modes, the fact that the scrapers with complex edges are more than these with single edge becomes a important character in the assemblage.
The secondary work of the tools seems to be practiced by heavy and repeated blows of hammer stone. By such a technique, the tools have the blunt edges. Their edge angles are usually more than 80°. Such a method of retouching implements can scarcely be found in palaeolithic so far known in nothern China. The assemeblage could be compared with the palaeolithic artifacts found from Guanyindong cave, Guizhou province as well as Donglian site, Sichuan province, therefore, the assemblage found from Caohai is further closer to those from Guanyindong site. Thus we clain that they would belong to same tradition. According to the mammalian fossils and cultural evidences the site belongs to upper Pleistocene and is probably its late stage.

Key words: Caohai; Axis Weiningensis; Palaeolith