Biography

Johan Andersson was a Swedish archaeologist and geologist recognised for his pioneering work in China. Before his work in China, Andersson graduated from Uppsala University and carried out work in the polar regions, participating in an expedition to the Antarctic in 1901-1903. He also served as director of the Swedish National Geological Survey.

Andersson was first invited to China in 1914 to advise the government on mining and helped to train a generation of Chinese geologists. His interest in Chinese archaeology was aroused in 1918 when he was shown the abundant fossils at a site in the Zhoukoudian cave complex (now a World Heritage Site). At another site he found quartz not local to the area, pointing to prehistoric human activity. Andersson instigated excavations, yielding material which was sent to Uppsala for analysis. The most famous finds were some hominid teeth, unearthed in 1926, which were the first remains attributed to 'Peking Man', one of the first specimens of Homo erectus.

Andersson was also involved in archaeological discoveries in Henan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces and published many papers on his findings. He founded the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm in 1926 and the Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in 1929. Andersson's popular book about his experiences in China, Children of the Yellow Earth, was translated into in several languages after the original Swedish version was published in 1932.

Sources:
The Peking Man World Heritage Site at Zhoudoukian:
www.unesco.org/ext/field/beijing/whc/pkm-site.htm, accessed 8 August 2012.