Lotus Leaf Site

Lotus Leaf Site

The Lotus Leaf Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Zhejiang Province.

The Lotus Leaf Site is located in Xinghuo Village, Zhouwangmiao Town, Haining. It belongs to the Liangzhu Culture of the Neolithic Age and was discovered in August 1988 during soil extraction at the Xinghuo Brick Kiln.

In September 1988, the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Haining Museum carried out an emergency excavation of the site. The excavation area was about 350 square meters, with the cultural layer being approximately 2.2–3.5 meters thick. Sixteen Liangzhu Culture tombs were cleared, yielding a total of 380 funerary objects including jade artifacts such as cong, bi, and yue, as well as stone adzes, stone chisels, stone plows, and pottery. A second excavation took place from November 2002 to April 2003, covering an area of 500 square meters with the cultural layer about 2–3.1 meters thick. Twelve tombs were discovered, and 51 artifacts were unearthed.

Drilling surveys from the Third National Cultural Relics Census indicated that the remaining site area consists of two sections: the eastern section covers approximately 2,400 square meters, about 45 meters wide from east to west and 55 meters long from north to south, with a cultural layer about 1.5 meters thick. The western section spans around 1,500 square meters, roughly 30 meters wide from east to west and 50 meters long from north to south, with a cultural layer about 1.5 meters thick and rich in content.

The Lotus Leaf Site is a large-scale noble cemetery from the Liangzhu Culture period. Evidence suggests that several significant fire-related religious activities were conducted here. The discovery and excavation of the site have received special attention in the archaeological community, providing valuable material for further research on the Liangzhu Culture.

In January 2011, it was designated as part of the sixth batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Zhejiang Province.

Xinghuo Village: Located in the northeast of Zhouwangmiao Town, Haining, Xinghuo Village borders Xieqiao to the east, connects to Yanguan to the south, adjoins Changchun Village of the same town to the west, and neighbors Tongxiang City to the north. It currently comprises 21 villager groups, with a total of 712 households and a population of 2,683. The village covers a total area of 3.3 square kilometers and has 3,455 mu of arable land.

In 2008, the village achieved a total industrial and agricultural output value of 137,060,900 yuan, with 641,900 yuan in collective disposable funds, a per capita rural income of 10,470 yuan, and year-end collective assets totaling 11,715,300 yuan (including fixed… More details about Xinghuo Village++

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Zhejiang Province