Zhaoxianbang Ancient Cultural Site

Zhaoxianbang Ancient Cultural Site

The Zhaoxianbang Ancient Cultural Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai Municipality.

The Zhaoxianbang Ancient Cultural Site is located on both banks of the newly dug river at the mouth of Zhaoxianbang in Group 9, Dongxin Village, Tinglin Town. Discovered in 1975, the site covers an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. Major artifacts include black-glazed gray pottery fragments from the Liangzhu Culture, tripod feet in a T-shape made from red pottery with sand inclusions, as well as incised pottery pieces from the Maqiao Culture featuring basketry patterns, leaf vein motifs, and cord impressions, plus gray pottery handles from the Wu-Yue Culture, along with other stamped hard pottery pieces featuring meander, rice-sieve, and cross patterns. In 2003, during the construction of the A7 Expressway, the archaeological department of the Shanghai Museum conducted a follow-up survey and trial excavation of the site, covering a total area of 200 square meters, and unearthed a small number of cultural relics dating from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties.

The excavation of the Zhaoxianbang Site has enriched our understanding of the Maqiao Culture and provided new data for learning about its distribution across the Shanghai region. The central area of the Zhaoxianbang Site is mainly distributed on both sides of the current Zhaoxianbang, covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, with the site deposits predominantly featuring the Maqiao Culture. It is worth noting that although pottery fragments from the Neolithic Liangzhu Culture were found during the 1975 archaeological survey, no such remains from the Neolithic period were discovered within the excavated area during this fieldwork.

The cultural content of the Maqiao Culture relics at the Zhaoxianbang Site is very similar to that of the Maqiao Site. This similarity is not only reflected in the decorative styles and pottery-making techniques evident in the artifacts, but the shapes of the objects can also generally be matched with similar types found at the Maqiao Site. For example, Type D small basins from the Zhaoxianbang Site have a pronounced inward curve near the lower belly close to the base, and a distinct raised ridge around the bottom edge, resembling the characteristics of Type Da II small basins from the Maqiao Site. The zun (wine vessel) features a marked curvature at the false ring foot, closely resembling the form of Type Aa zun II from the Maqiao Site. Therefore, the Zhaoxianbang Site is roughly contemporaneous with the earlier phase of the Maqiao Site, belonging to the early-period relics of the Maqiao Culture. There are also a small number of late-period Maqiao Culture artifacts at the Zhaoxianbang Site, such as Type A II duck-shaped pots—tall and slender in shape, with a high neck, flat round belly, tall ring foot, and a weakened “tail,” serving as important clues for studying late-period Maqiao Culture remains. However, due to the small excavation area and limited number of artifacts unearthed at the Zhaoxianbang Site, further chronological research cannot be conducted.

In 1984, the cultural relics management authorities designated the Zhaoxianbang Ancient Cultural Site as a protected location. In 2014, the Municipal People’s Government announced it as a cultural heritage protection unit.

Dongxin Village: Dongxin Village is situated around the urban area of Tinglin Town, bordering the town on its eastern, southern, and western sides. To the east, it borders Tingdong Village; to the south, it neighbors Gaolou Village of Zhuhang Town and Xinxiang Village of the same town; to the west, it connects with Tingxi Village of the same town; and to the north, it faces Hongyang Village. The village covers a total area of 4.56 square kilometers, with cultivated land spanning 18.4 hectares. It has a total of 1,024 households and a population of 3,817. The original Dongxin Village belonged to Tingdong Township in Tinglin District during the early years after liberation. In 1959, it was renamed Dongxin Brigade, and in 1986, became Dongxin Village. The original Tingnan Village, in the early years after liberation, was part of Tingdong Township in Tinglin District. In 1959, it was known as Sanxing Brigade, later renamed Hongxin... Detailed information about Dongxin Village++