Chuodun Site

Chuodun Site

The Chuodun Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Chuodun Site is located in Chuodun Village, Zhengyi, Bacheng Town, Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province. It covers a total area of about 400,000 square meters, with a central area of 290,000 square meters. Its cultural sequence from bottom to top includes the Majiabang, Songze, Liangzhu, and Maqiao cultures, along with remains from the Tang and Song periods. In January 1961, the Nanjing Museum discovered the site during an archaeological survey of the Taihu Lake region. From July 30 to August 7, 1982, the Nanjing Museum, in collaboration with the Kunshan Cultural Center, conducted a survey and excavation at the site. Between 1998 and 2004, three institutions—the Nanjing Museum, Suzhou Museum, and Kunshan Cultural Relics Management Office—jointly carried out six archaeological excavations here, uncovering a total area of 3,393 square meters. They discovered 450 relics from the Neolithic Age to the Tang and Song dynasties, including 14 house foundations, 95 tombs, 177 ash pits, 90 wells, 64 rice paddies, 8 ditches, and 2 river channels. Over 1,000 artifacts were unearthed.

The Chuodun Site is not only large in scale but also rich in content and well-preserved. It was recognized by the National Cultural Heritage Administration as one of China’s significant archaeological discoveries of the year 2000. It is among the most important prehistoric sites in the Taihu Lake area, featuring the most complete cultural sequence and an extremely rich array of cultural relics.

Address: Chuodun Village, Zhengyi, Bacheng Town, Kunshan City

Bacheng Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Kunshan City. It was known as Bacheng Township in 1949, reorganized as a commune in 1958, restored to township status in 1983, and upgraded to a town in 1986. Located in the northwest of the city, it is 11.3 kilometers from downtown. The town spans an area of 53.7 square kilometers and has a population of 23,000. Roads connect it to the urban area, and it is surrounded by Yangcheng Lake, Bacheng Lake, Manli Lake, Kuilei Lake, and Zhicheng Lake. Navigable waterways such as the Zhangjiagang River, Yanglintang River, Qingshui Port, Xinkai River, and Maosha Pond crisscross the town. It administers the following villages and communities: Beitan, Yangbei, Donghe, Sanbang, Gouxiang, Heping, Huangni, Zhicheng, Zhibang, Yangmu, Wangjin, Songjia, Lianfeng, Qinfeng, Mao... More detailed information about Bacheng Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units