China's Neolithic archaeology began with the 1921 discovery of
Yangshao culture -- a prototypical Chinese culture of the Neolithic
period first found in Yangshao village, Mianchi County, Henan
Province. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in
1949, by means of stratigraphy (soil dating), typology (index
dating), as well as radiocarbon dating (half-life carbon dating),
excavations at over 10,000 Neolithic sites, archaeologists have
been able to work out a timeline of China's Neolithic culture from
10,000 BP to 2,100 BC (Xia Dynasty).
Since 1977, pre-Yangshao (10,000 BP to 6950 BP) cultures such as
those at Cishan, Peiligang and Dadiwan have been found in north
China's Yellow River Valley, filling the missing link in
archaeological chronology and offering resources for the study of
the origin of agriculture, animal husbandry and pottery production
in China.
Pre-Yangshao cultures in south China have been found at Yuchanyan
in Daoxian County, Hunan Province and Xianrendong in Wannian
County, Jiangxi Province, providing evidence that China's Neolithic
originated at 10,000 BP.
It
has long been argued by Chinese archaeologists that China is
probably one of the birthplaces of agriculture, and this has been
given persuasive authority by the discovery of crop ruins at the
Nanzhuangtou site in Xushui County, Hebei Province, which dates
back to 10,000 years ago. In addition, Neolithic cultures spread
over north China at such sites as Houli-Beixin, Xinglongwa and
those spread over south China including Hemudu, Songze, Daxi,
Qujialing, and Shijiahe dating to 6,000 years BP have presented
varied and colorful cultural panoramas with distinctive regional
flavors.
Bamboo buildings with railings and paddy ruins found at Hemudu
(7,000 BP) in Zhejiang Province demonstrate that the Yangtze River
Valley boasts a history of exploitation as long as what's in the
Yellow River Valley.
Cemeteries and cave dwelling-like buildings excavated at Banpo
(6,800-6,300 BP), Jiangzhai (4,000 BP) in Shaanxi Province and
Qijia in Qinghai Province shed new light on prehistoric settlement
patterns and social organization in northwest China in this
period.
A
pottery cauldron containing boiled medicinal herbs unearthed in
2001 at Kuahuqiao in Xiaoshan County, Zhejiang Province indicates
that Neolithic people had realized some natural herbal medicine use
as early as 8,000 BP.
2001 excavations at Jiahu in Henan Province show that paddy (rice
field) cultivation had been invented 9,000 years ago by Neolithic
people living in the Huaihe River Valley, a region lying between
the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys.
Over a dozen excavations at Yuchisi in Anhui Province since 1989
have produced 10,000 plus examples of earthenware, graves, and the
largest prehistoric housing remains ever found in China. This
5,000-year-old site also produced a bird-shaped pottery figure --
the best-preserved totem from Neolithic China, which has been
acclaimed by archaeologists as "an amazing find that can leave
people gasping with wonder."
Meanwhile, the discovery of numerous jade articles produced by the
Zhejiang-based Liangzhu culture and sacrificial altars
characteristic of the Liaoning-based Hongshan culture have
attracted worldwide attention in regard to the origin of Chinese
civilization.
The appearance of bronzeware casting industry is also closely
related to the origin of Chinese civilization. Archaeology shows
that China entered the Bronze Age no later than the terminal period
of Qijia culture dating back to 4,000 years ago. Thus the Neolithic
Qijia culture has been linked to the 3,000-year-old bronzeware
culture represented by Yin ruins (ruins of the capital city of the
late Shang or Yin Dynasty near Xiaotun village, Anyang city, Henan
Province).
Neolithic people also left their footprints in Tibet. Cave-like
housing, painted pottery, millet ruins, and pig bones unearthed at
Karuo -- Tibet's only Neolithic site with an elevation of 3,100
meters and an area of 10,000 square meters -- show strong
similarities to what has been found in Neolithic cultures in the
Yellow River Valley, indicating their ancestor-descendant
relations.
In
June, 2000, an ancient town belonging to the time of Yao and Shun
(legendary rulers in ancient China) was excavated for the first
time in Taosi village, Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province.
Archaeological work at this town site produced new evidence to
reconfirm the three universally recognized symbols of the
appearance of the state, i.e. written language, metal implements,
and city. Later, Shun's mausoleum was found at Jiuningshan in
Ningyuan County, Hunan Province. Then a stony meteorite was
unearthed near the Mausoleum of Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) in
Huangling County, Shaanxi Province. These striking discoveries have
turned the legend of three sage "kings" (Fuxi, Suiren, and
Shennong) and five virtuous "emperors" (Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Di Ku,
Yao, and Shun) into an authentic historical record.
To
trace sources of Chinese civilization, China's first archaeological
research project -- the "Origins of Ancient Chinese Civilization"
-- has been ranked as the country's key research project during the
10th Five-year Plan period (2001-2005).
(China.org.cn, translated by Shao Da, March 21, 2003)