1929年至1936年，在中國北京的周口店，相繼發(fā)掘出了三個(gè)成年古猿人頭骨化石和眾多的枕骨、眉骨、耳骨化石碎片。此事一經(jīng)傳出，立刻在世界上造成了轟動(dòng)，因?yàn)椤氨本┤恕钡拇嬖?，讓人類不得不重新認(rèn)定自己起源的旅程，是從中國北京的周口店開始的。國外學(xué)術(shù)界甚至將此事譽(yù)為古人類研究史上最為動(dòng)人的發(fā)現(xiàn)。然而，抗日戰(zhàn)爭期間，“北京人”頭蓋骨化石卻在輾轉(zhuǎn)途中神秘失蹤。時(shí)至今日，關(guān)于國寶的下落仍然是擺在我們面前的一個(gè)謎。

From 1929 to 1936, in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, China, three adult hominid skulls and many fragments of occipital, eyebrow and ear bones were successively excavated. As soon as the incident came out, it immediately caused a sensation in the world. Because of the existence of "Beijingers", human beings had to re identify their origin, starting from Zhoukoudian in Beijing, China. Foreign academic circles even praised this as the most moving discovery in the history of ancient human research. However, during the Anti Japanese War, the skull fossils of "Beijingers" disappeared mysteriously. Today, the whereabouts of the national treasure is still a mystery in front of us.

其實(shí)，“北京人”頭蓋骨化石最初一直是存放在美資北京協(xié)和醫(yī)院底層的保險(xiǎn)柜里，供瑞典人類學(xué)家魏敦瑞做學(xué)術(shù)研究之用的。1937年抗日戰(zhàn)爭爆發(fā)后，日本人占領(lǐng)了北京，只是由于協(xié)和醫(yī)院懸掛了美國國旗，日本人才未闖進(jìn)去掠奪“北京人”頭蓋骨化石。1941年“珍珠港事件”前夕，日美關(guān)系出現(xiàn)惡化，為了確保這些珍貴的文物不會(huì)落入到侵略者手中，魏敦瑞建議將“北京人”頭蓋骨化石轉(zhuǎn)移到美國保存。同年11月初，在獲得了當(dāng)時(shí)中國政府允許出境的批示后，魏敦瑞等人將國寶送到了美國駐北平使館，并委托美國海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)護(hù)送到紐約自然歷史博物館暫存避險(xiǎn)。12月5日，裝有“北京人”頭蓋骨化石的專列開往秦皇島，準(zhǔn)備于12月8日搭乘美國郵船“哈里遜總統(tǒng)”號。然而就在12月8日凌晨，日軍突襲“珍珠港”，日本對美國不宣而戰(zhàn)，而當(dāng)天開往秦皇島的運(yùn)送“北京人”頭蓋骨化石的美國海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)專列也被日軍截住，“哈里遜總統(tǒng)”號因此未能趕到接應(yīng)。從此，舉世矚目的“北京人”頭蓋骨化石便神秘地失蹤了。

In fact, the skull fossils of "Beijingers" have always been stored in the safe at the bottom of Peking Union Medical College Hospital funded by the United States for the academic research of Swedish anthropologist Wei dunrui. After the outbreak of the Anti Japanese war in 1937, the Japanese occupied Beijing. Only because the Union Hospital hoisted the American flag, the Japanese did not break in and plunder the skull fossils of the "Peking Man". On the eve of "Pearl Harbor Incident" in 1941, the relationship between Japan and the United States deteriorated. In order to ensure that these precious cultural relics will not fall into the hands of the aggressors, Wei dunrui proposed to transfer the skull fossils of "Beijingers" to the United States for preservation. In early November of the same year, after obtaining the permission of the Chinese government at that time, Wei dunrui and others sent the national treasure to the U.S. Embassy in Peiping, and entrusted the U.S. Marine Corps to escort it to the New York Museum of natural history for temporary refuge. On December 5, a special train with fossilized skulls of "Beijingers" sailed to Qinhuangdao, ready to take the US mail ship "President Harrison" on December 8. However, in the early morning of December 8, when the Japanese raided Pearl Harbor, Japan fought against the United States without declaration. On the same day, the U.S. Marine Corps special train for transporting the skull fossils of "Peking Man" to Qinhuangdao was also stopped by the Japanese, so president Harrison failed to catch up. Since then, the famous "Peking Man" skull ossified stone has mysteriously disappeared.

由于“北京人”頭蓋骨化石是在戰(zhàn)亂中秘密啟運(yùn)的，遭劫失蹤后，查找工作變得相當(dāng)困難。日本投降后，美國曾多次努力搜索，但結(jié)果終是空手而歸。而日本方面則一再聲稱，他們從未發(fā)現(xiàn)過“北京人”頭蓋骨化石的下落。

Because the skull fossils of "Beijingers" were secretly transported during the war, it became very difficult to find them after being robbed and disappeared. After the surrender of Japan, the United States made many efforts to search, but the result was empty handed. Japan, on the other hand, has repeatedly claimed that they have never found the whereabouts of the skull fossils of the Peking man.

新中國成立后，“北京人”頭蓋骨化石更是成為國人心中永遠(yuǎn)的牽掛。半個(gè)多世紀(jì)以來，國內(nèi)外的許多有識之士一直在為尋找到它而奔波。然而，各種捕風(fēng)捉影的線索雪片一般地紛至沓來，如有人說它可能被日軍擄去，藏在日本民間，或已被野蠻的日本士兵損毀；有人說它被劫后裝在一艘名為“阿波丸號”的日本巨輪回日本時(shí)，因輪船被美軍擊毀而沉落大海；有人說它早已成了前蘇聯(lián)紅軍的“戰(zhàn)利品”；有人說它可能被人誤為一般的人體標(biāo)本而遭到了遺棄；有人卻堅(jiān)信它還存在于我們國家的某個(gè)角落……但真正有價(jià)值的線索卻一個(gè)都沒有。至今，“北京人”頭蓋骨化石的下落仍然是一個(gè)無法破解的謎。

After the founding of the people's Republic of China, "Peking Man" skull fossil has become a permanent concern of the Chinese people. For more than half a century, many people of insight at home and abroad have been running for it. However, all kinds of clues of chasing the wind and shadow came in a stream. Some people said that it might have been captured by the Japanese army, hidden in the Japanese folk, or destroyed by the barbaric Japanese soldiers. Some people said that it was loaded in a Japanese giant ship named "apomaru" when it returned to Japan after being hijacked, because the ship was destroyed by the US Army, it fell to the sea. Some people said that it had already become the "spoils of war" of the former Soviet Red Army ”Some people say that it may have been abandoned as a general human specimen; some people believe that it still exists in some corner of our country But there is no real clue of value. Up to now, the whereabouts of the skulls of "Beijingers" are still an unsolvable mystery.