Archaeological site of the Neolithic Age

Location: Qujiang County, Guangdong Province

Period: 2,900-2,700 BC

Excavated in 1973

Jue, a jade ring from which a segment has been cut: ornament (up, diameter 6.3 cm); Jue, a jade ring from which a segment has been cut: ornament (mid, diameter 8.8 cm); Cong, a jade cuboid with a hole in the middle: ritual object (bottom, length 14.1 cm)

Significance: The finding has provided important material objects for the study of the disintegration of the primitive society of Lingnan area, which covers the present-day Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

 Introduction

A site which overlaps chronologically both Hemudu and the southwest Guangxi Shell Middens is in northern Guangdong at Shixia. This site has three stratums corresponding to the Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn period, Xia and Shang, and the late Neolithic Age. Shixia is far closer to Hemudu in its richness than the Guangxi Shell Middens, and seemingly is tied to the late Neolithic cultures of the middle and lower Yangtze regions.

Shixia Site covers about 30,000 square meters. So far, foundation of ancient houses, storage pits, pottery kilns and tombs were discovered in the site and about 3,000 pieces of stoneware, pottery, bone ware and jade were unearthed.