Meet your ancient Chinese predecessors face to face

To secure maximum authenticity, the research team collected data from high-precision 3D scans and built an accurate three-dimensional skull model.

The Jiahu site is located in Jiahu village in Wuyang county of Luohe, Henan province. Dated roughly to 9,000 to 7,500 years ago, it was a large-scale early Neolithic settlement with rich cultural layers.

Since the first excavations in 1983, archaeologists have uncovered hundreds of tombs and collected abundant human bone samples.

Many valuable relics such as Jiahu bone flutes, tortoise shell objects, pottery and stone tools have been found. They offered important evidence for studying the origins of Chinese civilization.

Images were created as part of China's first animated work adapted from findings at a prehistoric archaeological site.

Gu Wanfa, executive president of the Henan archaeology institute, said that both the scientific facial reconstruction and new animation series have solid academic support and powerful contemporary communication value.

Zhang Juzhong, professor at the University of Science and Technology of China said they also provide vivid physical evidence to explain the origins of the Jiahu civilization

"Those help people better understand Jiahu and prehistoric Central Plains civilizations," Zhang said.