Meiyuan Site

Meiyuan Site

The Meiyuan Site is located in Yujiadai Village, about 2 kilometers north of Meiyuan Town, Wujiang County, approximately 3.5 kilometers west of Taihu Lake. The site covers an area of around 60,000 square meters. In the winters of 1958 and 1959, a large number of animal bones and deer antlers were discovered here. In 1960, the Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Team and the Suzhou Cultural Relics Management Committee conducted excavations, uncovering an area of 143 square meters, where remains of the Majiabang and Liangzhu cultures from the Neolithic Age were found.

In the Majiabang cultural layer, a ground surface was discovered that was paved with clam shells, plant ash, and reeds, along with wooden pile dwelling remains roughly arranged in rectangular and oval shapes. Among the unearthed artifacts, bone implements were the most numerous, many of which featured delicate carvings. Arrowheads, awls, and needles were the most common, showcasing relatively refined grinding and perforation techniques. Notably, the use of a human skull with a hole drilled through it as a vessel was a first discovery in Jiangsu. A spade made from a soft-shelled turtle’s shell and fish-shaped bone daggers carved from bone were also rare finds. Stone tools included flat perforated stone axes, stone hoes, and stone arrowheads, while jade artifacts included ornaments such as huangs, beads, and tubes. All the pottery unearthed was red pottery, with a small amount of gray pottery. A large number of waist-rimmed cauldrons, high-loop-footed beans with trumpet-shaped mouths, and large pottery jars with ox-nose handles were found. There were as many as 20 different vessel shapes, predominantly tripods, beans, zun vessels, and pots. Among the many animal bones discovered, those of cattle and deer antlers were the most common, with 37 intact water buffalo skulls found. The animal bones indicate that species active near the site at the time included water buffalo, spotted deer, elk, wild boar, dogs, as well as amphibious or aquatic animals such as soft-shelled turtles, soft-shelled terrapins, clams, and fish.

The Liangzhu cultural layer mainly featured pottery made of black-coated gray clay, with vessel types including low-loop-footed beans, high-necked spouted jars, and gourd-shaped zun vessels. Among them, a gray pottery dolphin-shaped jar stood out with its vivid shape and exquisite craftsmanship, reflecting strong characteristics of the water town region. Additionally, two lacquered pottery items were unearthed, which were tested and confirmed to have chemical properties identical to those of Han Dynasty lacquerware. Stone tools included stone sickles, stone knives, and stone hoeing tools. Black pottery net sinkers used for fishing and hunting, as well as spinning whorls, were also found.

Dayishan (Big Yishan Mountain)

Baihejian (White Dove Gully)

Fulingquan (Poria Spring)

Dayishan Stone Coffin Tomb

Milu Cliff Rock Art

Seventy-Two Caves