Guangfu Village Site

Guangfu Village Site

The Guangfu Village Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Guangfu Village Site is located about 3 kilometers southwest of Taoyuan Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou City. The site currently covers an area of 28,000 square meters and was discovered during a cultural relics survey in 1984. In 1994, the Archaeology Department of the Suzhou Museum and the Wujiang City Cultural Relics Exhibition Room conducted an archaeological investigation. In 1996, in conjunction with infrastructure development in Guangfu Village, the Archaeology Department of the Suzhou Museum and the Wujiang City Cultural Relics Exhibition Room carried out rescue archaeological excavations.

The main cultural remains at the site belong to the late Majiabang Culture, dating back over 6,000 years. Within the 160 square meters that have been excavated, 20 tombs, one house foundation, 56 artifacts, and a large number of animal remains—including deer, elk, pigs, cattle, dogs, and turtles—were discovered. These findings provide important physical evidence for studying the burial and interment systems of the time.

Most of the artifacts unearthed at the Guangfu Village Site are pottery, mainly tripods and dou vessels, along with a small number of basins, bowls, cups, and net sinkers. Stone tools such as axes, adzes, knives, and spinning whorls, bone tools like awls, and jade objects were also found among the relics.

The abundance of animal remains supports the spore-pollen analysis of the site’s strata, indicating a hot and humid mid-subtropical climate at the time, with average temperatures possibly about 2°C higher than today. The terrain was primarily swampy plains, covered with evergreen broad-leaved forests, mixed evergreen-deciduous broad-leaved forests, and swamp vegetation. The accumulation of numerous animal remains also confirms that people frequently ventured into the forests during this period to engage in hunting activities. The large quantity of animals provided a rich source of meat, and their bones, teeth, and antlers were utilized to make tools and household utensils.

Among the excavated house foundations, 15 postholes are clearly visible on the ground, five of which have diameters of up to 35 centimeters, indicating a relatively large architectural scale. Due to the limited excavation area, it is still difficult to determine the structure of the dwellings and related details. Further excavation could yield invaluable data for a comprehensive understanding of house foundations from the Majiabang period.

Artifacts from the Songze, Liangzhu, and Majiabang cultures, totaling 21 pieces, were found, along with four ash pits and two wells, though no stratified deposits were observed. Based on these findings, it is inferred that human habitation sites from several cultural phases following the Majiabang Culture may have existed in the surrounding areas of this excavation site.

Materials from archaeological excavations and stratigraphic drilling indicate that the Guangfu Village Site is a relatively complete, long-standing site spanning a significant historical period. It is now a protected cultural heritage site at the provincial level in Jiangsu.

In March 2019, the Guangfu Village Site was designated as part of the eighth batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province by the Jiangsu Provincial Government.

Taoyuan Town: Located at the border between two provinces, Taoyuan Town sits at the southernmost tip of Wujiang District, covering a total administrative area of 61.41 square kilometers. It governs 2 neighborhood committees and 29 administrative villages, with a total population of 46,800. Amidst the tide of reform and opening-up, Taoyuan Town has achieved sustained, rapid, and healthy economic development. It has been successively honored as a National Top 100 Township for Afforestation and Greening, a Jiangsu Provincial Sanitary Town, a Jiangsu Provincial New-Type Small Town, and a Jiangsu Provincial Advanced Cultural Town. Taoyuan Middle School and Qingyun Middle School, located in the southern and northern communities respectively, are both top-ranking educational institutions in the city. ... Taoyuan Town Detailed Information++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province