In 2007, researchers found 34 bone fragments belonging to a single individual at the Tianyuan Cave near Beijing, China.

He lacks several mandibular features common among western Eurasian late archaic humans, showing its divergence.

[6][7][8] The Tianyuan man was determined to be part of an Initial Upper Paleolithic wave (>45kya) "ascribed to a population movement with uniform genetic features and material culture" (Ancient East Eurasians), and sharing deep ancestry with other ancient specimens such as Bacho Kiro, Peștera cu Oase, the Ust'-Ishim man, as well as the ancestors of modern day Papuans (Australasians).

[6] The GoyetQ116-1 specimen is inferred to have received 14-23% ancestry from an Early East Eurasian population distantly related to the Tianyuan man.

[11] The Tianyuan man displays high genetic affinities to a 33,000 year old specimen (AR33K) between the Amur region and modern day Mongolia, suggesting that Tianyuan-like ancestry was spread widely in Northeastern Asia during the Paleolithic period.