Abstract: The interpretation of the stone tools plays an substantially important role in the reconstruction of prehistoric society. Nowadays, the functional research of stone tools is considered as an indispensable field in archeology besides the materials procurement, knapping technology, assemblage analysis and human behaviour. Residue analysis is a technique of functional analysis developed in the West on 1970s which for the extraction and identification of the residues on the surface of artifacts with modern technologies. Through more than forty-years development and improvement, the residue analysis has become an essential part of stone tools function research which has attracted plenty of researchers to set foot in. From Lower to Upper Paleolithic, there are abundance of sites including cave sites and open air sites in China. Over the years, the studies were almost focused on the typological and technological attributes of the stone artifacts, however, to most of the materials, we have not extracted all the information possessed by artifacts jet. The residue analysis could make up and improve the situation at a great extent and give huge contribution to the functional studies and the paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This article focuses on the review and prospect of residue analysis research history in the West and explains some of the methods and technologies at the same time. These methods and technologies should be introduced to Chinese paleolithic archeology at present and certainly could have profound impacts to the future research.

Key words: Paleolithic; Artifacts; Residue analysis; Research history