Abstract: Residue analysis used to assess the function of archaeological objects was first developed in the 1970s. Nowadays, this technique has been applied to research around the world, including China, but, with different time periods, depositional environments, artifact types, etc. , the laboratory methods of this type of analysis are, often numerous. Based on this research, we believe that plant residues could be extracted from the Shuidonggou stone artifacts. The Shuidonggou site is a typical Upper Paleolithic site in northwestern China, a vital area for assessing ancient human migration in Eurasia. The semi-arid environment of the site is considered a good condition for the preservation of plant residues. In this study, 103 pieces of chipped stone artifacts were processed for residue analysis in the Paleoethnobotany Lab at University of Missouri- Columbia. The processing included the following steps: concentration, deflocculation, pre- treatment, removal of carbonate and organic matter, and heavy liquid flotation. Plant residues including starch grains, plant tissue fragments and phytoliths collected from the Shuidonggou artefacts suggest that ancient humans were engaged in a number of plant processing activities.

Key words: Paleolithic; Residue analysis; Plant microfossils