Xuxiang Site

Xuxiang Site

The Xuxiang Site is located in Xuxiang Village, outside the southern gate of Wuxi City, approximately 300 meters west of the Xianlidun Site. In 1960, the Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Team conducted a trial excavation. The site is an irregular oval-shaped earthen mound, measuring 120 meters from north to south and 76 meters from east to west, standing 1.5–2.5 meters above the ground surface, with a total area of 9,120 square meters and cultural layers about 30–40 centimeters thick. Artifacts unearthed include two types: stone tools and pottery. Stone tools consist of oval-section stone axes, shouldered stone axes, three-hole broad-bladed stone axes with handles, semi-lunar double-hole stone knives, —, willow-leaf-shaped stone arrowheads, and long rectangular whetstones. Pottery is mainly handmade, with the most common items being sand-tempered red pottery such as ding tripods, jars, and bowls. Most of the vessel surfaces are undecorated, with only a very small number featuring cord marks, basket weave patterns, or incised lines. There are also a few clay red pottery and clay gray pottery items, including jars, pots, dou stem cups, bowls, and cups. Their bases are mostly round and slightly concave, with basket weave and comb-like patterns pressed onto their surfaces. Based on the characteristics of the artifacts, the site is similar to Layer 4 of the Maqiao Site in Shanghai, dating back to the late Xia and early Shang periods in the Central Plains. It provides important physical evidence for studying the history of the Taihu Lake region during the Xia and Shang dynasties and its cultural connections with the Central Plains.