Site of the Daxianzhuang Relics

Site of the Daxianzhuang Relics

The Site of the Daxianzhuang Relics is a protected cultural heritage site under Jiangsu Province.

The Site of the Daxianzhuang Relics is located on the mountaintop and slopes in the middle section of the Ma’ling Mountain Range, approximately 2,000 meters southwest of Qianxian Village, Shanzuokou Township, Donghai County, Lianyungang City. It is a late Paleolithic cultural site, covering a total area of about 20,000 square meters. Discovered in 1974, it underwent subsequent collection and excavation efforts in 1978, 1979, and 1984. In 1974, Paleolithic stone tools were found here. In 1978, over 200 stone artifacts were collected. Flake tools outnumbered core tools, and common manufacturing techniques included hammering, battering, and anvil percussion. The tool types mainly include anvils, hammers, stone balls, pointed implements, discoid tools, scrapers, chopping tools, and hand axes. The scraper types are diverse, including one boat-shaped specimen also known as a wedge-shaped core — unique to the microlithic traditions of East Asia, Japan, and North America, thus earning the name “wedge-shaped intercontinental core.” In 1979, archaeologists collected 252 additional lithic specimens from the site, newly identifying micro-blades, micro-cores, wedge-shaped cores, pencil-shaped cores, fingernail-shaped scrapers, round-based arrowheads, and burins. The raw materials for these microliths included flint, chalcedony, agate, crystal, quartz, quartzite, and vein quartz, all sourced locally from the Ma’ling Mountains. In the spring of 1984, multiple locations featuring similar microlithic characteristics were discovered in the central section of the Ma’ling Mountains — including Zhaodun, Heshantou, Nanshan, Shibei, and Fandingzi — yielding a total of 2,627 man-made stone artifacts. Experts such as Jia Lanpo, An Zhimin, and Gai Pei regarded these microliths as a significant group of “typical microlithic tools.” The site dates back approximately 16,000 to 10,000 years. It was designated as part of the fourth batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in April 1995.

Protected Area:

A 200-meter buffer zone extending outward from the marker at the top of the site.

Construction Control Zone:

A 100-meter buffer extending outward from the boundary of the protected area.

Shanzuokou Township: Located in Lianyungang City — the eastern bridgehead of the Eurasian Continental Bridge — Shanzuokou Township borders Tancheng County in Shandong Province. It covers a total area of 86.7 square kilometers, governs 15 administrative villages, and has a population of 38,000.

Shanzuokou boasts a long history and rich culture. The area is home to the primitive settlement ruins of Daxianzhuang, the ruins of the “North, South, and Central” military camps established by General Xue Rengui during the Tang Dynasty’s campaign to the east, the fishing platform ruins of Jiang Ziya, giant footprint sites, and the ruins of Longxing Temple.

Shanzuokou enjoys convenient transportation. National Highway 310 and the Dong-Tan Road run east-west, while railways, airports, and ports are nearby... More details about Shanzuokou Township ++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units