Yuanmou Man in the context of "Prehistoric China"

The earliest human occupation of what is now China dates to the Lower Paleolithic c. 1.7 million years ago—attested by archaeological finds such as the Yuanmou Man. The Erlitou (c. 1900 – c. 1500 BCE) and Erligang cultures (c. 1600 – c. 1400 BCE) inhabiting the Yellow River valley were Bronze Age civilizations predating the historical record—which first emerges c. 1250 BCE at Yinxu, during the Late Shang.