In the 1920s an international team of scientists and miners unearthed the richest evidence of human evolution the world had ever seen: Peking Man. After the communist revolution of 1949, Peking Man became a prominent figure in the movement to bring science to the people. In a new state with twin goals of crushing âsuperstitionâ and establishing a socialist society, the story of human evolution was the first lesson in Marxist philosophy offered to the masses. At the same time, even Maoâs populist commitment to mass participation in science failed to account for the power of popular cultureârepresented most strikingly in legends about the Bigfoot-like Wild Manâto reshape ideas about human nature. The Peopleâs Peking Man is a skilled social history of twentieth-century Chinese paleoanthropology and a compelling culturalâand at times comparativeâhistory of assumptions and debates about what it means to be human. By focusing on issues that push against the boundaries of science and politics, The Peopleâs Peking Man offers an innovative approach to modern Chinese history and the history of science. Â
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