The subtropical monsoon zone of southern China and northern Southeast Asia is a key region for understanding Pleistocene human survival, adaptation, and dispersal. Yet, for decades, the Palaeolithic record of this area has often been generalized as part of a “pebble tool industry” or “chopper-chopping tool culture,” obscuring its internal diversity and cultural complexity. In recent years there has been a surge in archaeological discoveries and multidisciplinary research that challenge this outdated paradigm. Excavations and studies across diverse regions including southern China, northern Vietnam and Thailand have uncovered a range of lithic technologies, behavioural patterns, and adaptive strategies dating from late Middle Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene (ca. 300-10 ka BP). These new discoveries suggest the presence of distinct regional cultural traditions, shaped by dynamic processes of human migration, environmental adaptation, and technological innovation. This session aims to bring together practitioners in archaeological fieldwork, lithic analysis, dating, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and other interdisciplinary approaches to explore the complexity of Palaeolithic cultural development in southern China and Southeast Asia. By re-evaluating the role of this region within the broader framework of human dispersal, this session will provide new insights into the diversity and significance of human behaviour in subtropical East and Southeast Asia.