Abstract: Evolution of Homo sapiens sapiens and their behaviors are hotly debated issues in the Paleolithic community. This paper analyzed archaeological materials from Shuidonggou Locality 2 in aspects of ecology, technology, economy and social organization, and symbolic behavior. Locality 2 contained various innovations in different archaeological layers that indicated diverse evolutionary significance. Continuous evolution of flake technology in North China from 40ka to 20ka supports the hypothesis of “continuity with hybridization” of Chinese ancient populations from a cultural perspective. On the premise of this theory, seeking the innovations of Chinese ancient populations should concern evolutionary processes of behavior rather than identifying behavioral modernity or modern behaviors with a list summarized on archaeological materials from Europe and Africa. The variation of behaviors after the appearance of modern humans in China and elsewhere appeals for researches on behavioral variability and its causes instead of making inventories of modern behaviors. Furthermore, estimation of biological nature and ability of behavior in the Chinese Late Paleolithic with a European-centered list of modern behaviors should be avoided.

Key words: Shuidonggou; MIS3; Behavioral modernity; Continuous evolution; Behavioral variability