Tangqiao Xujiawan Site

Tangqiao Xujiawan Site

The Tangqiao Xujiawan Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Xujiawan Site is located in Xujiawan, Huayuan Village, Tangqiao Town. Originally a raised piece of land, the site covers a total area of over 20,000 square meters. In May and August 1985, the Suzhou Museum and the Shazhou County Cultural Center jointly excavated the site, uncovering an area of 425 square meters. The excavation revealed 13 tombs, 18 ash pits, 3 house foundations, as well as wells, ditches, and hearths. Over 280 cultural relics were unearthed, including 166 from the tombs, 103 from the excavation squares, and more than 20 collected from the surface. The artifacts included stone tools such as adzes, axes, chisels, knives, scrapers, spades, stone balls, arrowheads, and spinning whorls; jade artifacts such as huangs, tubes, beads, and earrings; pottery such as beans (dou), jars, tripods, pots, and cups; as well as one painted stone ball (stone bullet) and one painted stone arrowhead. Other finds included red burned earth, animal bones, and rice grains. Fourteen rice grains unearthed were analyzed by Professor You Xiuling from Zhejiang Agricultural University, identifying five as indica rice and nine as japonica rice. This coexistence of both indica and japonica types is similar to that found at sites such as Songze and Luojiajiao. The Second Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration and the Stratigraphic Paleontology Laboratory of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources under the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources conducted carbon-14 dating and pollen analysis, determining that the site dates back approximately 5,500 years and belongs to the Neolithic Songze Culture type. It was designated as a cultural heritage site of Zhangjiagang City in 1992.

On December 19, 2011, the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government announced it as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units.

Tangqiao Town: Located at the intersection of China’s coastal and Yangtze River economic development zones, Tangqiao Town in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province, lies in the southeastern part of Zhangjiagang, an emerging port city in the Yangtze River Delta. It is surrounded by major cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, and Nantong. To the east is the under-construction Sutong Yangtze River Bridge, to the south is the Yanjiang Expressway, to the west are the Suyuzhang First-Class Highway and the Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge, and to the north is the golden waterway of the Yangtze River. National Highway 204 runs directly from north to south, and Provincial Highway 338 crosses from east to west. The town covers a total area of 94.4 square kilometers, with a population of nearly 200,000, including 89,000 registered residents... More details about Tangqiao Town++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units