Loujiabridge Site

Loujiabridge Site

The Loujiabridge Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The Loujiabridge Site is located in Loujiabridge Village, Ciwu Town, Zhuji, on the banks of Fengtong River, a tributary of the Puyang River. The site is situated against a mountain and beside the river, and is significantly affected by the tidal levels of the Qiantang River. During the rainy seasons of spring and summer, when the tide rises and water flows back upstream, the site often suffers from flooding and severe waterlogging.

From 1999 to 2000, three consecutive excavation phases were carried out, with a total excavated area of approximately 1,500 square meters. The deposit is 2–4 meters thick, with the upper part belonging to the Shang and Zhou periods. The Liangzhu culture remains are not particularly abundant, while the main deposit exhibits characteristics of both the Hemudu and Majiabang cultures. Just as its geographical location lies on the edge of the Ningbo-Shaoxing Plain, its cultural features also show marginal characteristics — it is at the edge of the Hemudu culture distribution area and also at the edge of the Majiabang culture distribution area, representing an overlapping zone of the two cultural spheres. The unearthed pottery is predominantly carbon-tempered red-slipped ware, followed by sand-tempered red pottery. The pottery can be clearly divided into two groups representing different cultures: Group A includes carbon-tempered pottery with cord-marked ridged jars and single-handled bowls; Group B includes sand-tempered red pottery cylindrical-footed tripods, flanged-rim jars, and clay red pottery flared-footed bean pots. The body material, shapes, and decorations of Group A artifacts are identical to those of similar pottery from the Hemudu culture. The artifacts of Group B, especially the flanged cylindrical-footed tripods and flanged-rim jars, are rarely or never found at Hemudu culture sites, but are commonly seen in the Majiabang culture of the Taihu Lake region. Judging from the changing proportions of the two cultural elements at the site, the Majiabang cultural elements represented by Group B artifacts became increasingly prominent and dominant. The Hemudu culture was gradually declining, which aligns with the broader pattern of the evolving relationship between the Hemudu and Majiabang cultures. The ivory stick end cap unearthed at this site is identical to the silkworm-patterned ivory cuplet discovered at the Hemudu Site.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units