Xiaohuangshan Site

Xiaohuangshan Site

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

The Xiaohuangshan Site is located at Xiaohuangshan in Shangdushan Village, Ganlin Town, Shengzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It is a Neolithic site covering an area of over 50,000 square meters and is currently the largest settlement site dating back to around 9000 years ago in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Discovered in 1984, surveyed in January 2005, and excavated on March 22, 2005. The site has cultural deposits 1–2 meters thick. Based on the composition of the cultural layers and the stratigraphic relationships, the cultural remains at Xiaohuangshan are divided into four phases. The artifacts in the fourth phase indicate late Liangzhu culture remains, while the remains from the first three phases form the main body of the site’s deposits, characterized by rich and distinct cultural features.

The site’s terrain, consisting of low hills and hills near the parent rock layer, holds significant reference value and academic importance for exploring early Neolithic cultures in the lower Yangtze region. The unearthed stone-carved human head, dating back approximately 9000 years, is believed to be the earliest such artifact discovered in Chinese Neolithic archaeology, making it of great artistic research value. The discovery of rice remains is of major academic significance for the study of agricultural origins, especially the origin of rice cultivation. It also plays an important role in understanding the complete developmental sequence of Neolithic cultures in the lower Yangtze region and in identifying the regional types of Neolithic cultures in this area.

In May 2013, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Ganlin Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Shengzhou City. Established as Ganlin Town in 1956, it was reorganized as the Taoyuan Management Area of Ganlin Commune in 1958, changed to Taoyuan Commune in 1961, and reverted to town status in 1981. Located in the southwestern part of the city, it is 12 kilometers from downtown. Covering an area of 62 square kilometers with a population of 49,000, it is where the provincial highways Shengyi and Shaogan intersect. The town administers Ganlin First Village, Ganlin Second Village, Taoyuan, Yashen, Jiangjia, Yuancun, Meijianqiao, Xingwang, Yujiafei, Zhaojia, Dongwang, Wujiatian, Dongshan, Shenjia, Dongmei, Huangshengtang, Shangwang, Tongjia, Dongquan, Yinjia, Gaojian, Siquan, Dafeikou, Qijia, ... More details about Ganlin Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units