Group sites of the Neolithic Age

Location: Yuhang County, Zhejiang Province

Period: 3,300-2000 BC

Excavated from 1936 to the present

Significance: The find is of significant academic value to the study of the origin of civilization in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

 Introduction

The Liangzhu Culture, with an area of about 34 square kilometers, is a late Neolithic (Chalcolithic) Culture located in Southeast China. It has over 50 excavated sites, the most famous of which are Yaoshan Altar, Mojiaoshan Earth Pyramid, ect. 

Cong, a jade cuboid with a hole in the middle: ritual object (up, height 4.5 cm); Cong, a jade cuboid with a hole in the middle: ritual object (bottom, height 10 cm)

The most remarkable part of the Liangzhu culture is their large number of high-quality green jade artifacts, and their religious importance. Many other cultures contemporary with the Liangzhu Culture also had jades, but none could compare to those of the Liangzhu Culture. There were two kinds of jades that were prominent for their ritual use during this time. These are called bi and cong jade. The bi is a circular ring used to worship heaven, and the cong is an elongated square tube used to worship earth. Over 5,000 jade articles have been collected so far. The discovery of these relics shows that the Group Sites of the Liangzhu Culture is one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization.

 Liangzhu Culture

Well-known for its high quality and a number of jade artifacts, the Liangzhu Culture succeeded the Majiabang Culture and later became part of the Shang Dynasty. The Liangzhu Culture is roughly contemporary with the Longshan and Hongshan cultures to the north.

Liangzhu Culture, growing keng rice and making black-based and black-burnished pottery, represents the earliest Chalcolithic Culture in southeast China. They also left significant evidence to reveal some of their social practices. The evidence shows a pronounced social structure, a reckless consumption labor, extensive human sacrifice, and the iconography of power.