Xiangjia Mountain Site

Xiangjia Mountain Site

The Xiangjia Mountain Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Yuyao City.

The Xiangjia Mountain Site is located 1.5 kilometers northeast of the Hemudu Site in Yuyao City. About 2 kilometers eastward, across the northern bank of the Yao River and the remaining ridges of Siming Mountain, you enter the administrative area of Ningbo City. The site lies against Geshan Mountain, which has an elevation of 60 meters (its eastern section is locally known as Xiangjia Mountain), and extends southward beneath a narrow strip of rice paddies in Wangqinong. The living soil layer that supports the cultural deposits has an elevation of approximately 0–8 meters, so the site is classified as a low hill and slope-type remnant.

In early 1994, when a local brick and tile factory extensively excavated soil from the southern slope of Xiangjia Mountain, the cultural deposits of the site were severely damaged. After learning about this, the Yuyao cultural relics department reported to the relevant provincial authorities. The Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology promptly organized a rescue excavation, which lasted two months. The planned excavation area was 640 square meters, and the actual excavated area was 550 square meters.

The Xiangjia Mountain Site is adjacent to the Hemudu Site, and its discovery and excavation are most directly related to promoting research on Hemudu culture. The excavation revealed that the site contains remains from both the Hemudu culture and the Spring and Autumn–Warring States periods. Discoveries include ash pits, red-fired earth platforms, urn burials, roads, river docks, rows of wooden piles, and a large number of artifacts from the Hemudu culture and the stamped pottery period. The urn burials of the Hemudu culture were found for the first time here, demonstrating a unique burial custom within Hemudu culture. The excavation of the Xiangjia Mountain Site likely provides an opportunity to re-examine the true nature of "charcoal-black pottery." The stem-cupped pot, one of the main vessel types around the third phase of the Hemudu culture, has also been unearthed at the Wangwen Site in Haiyan and the Nanhebang Site in Jiaxing, both located in the southeastern part of the Hangjiahu Plain. These vessels share similarities with their counterparts at the Xiangjia Mountain Site in terms of shape, body material, surface color, and decorative patterns. It can be confirmed that at least from the later period of the Hemudu culture, there had been a convenient cross-sea channel for cultural exchange and dissemination between both sides.

In short, the Xiangjia Mountain Site largely fills in, deepens, and expands the understanding of Hemudu culture.

In August 2001, the Yuyao Municipal People’s Government announced the Xiangjia Mountain Site as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit.

Hemudu Town: Located along the eastern coast of eastern Zhejiang and at the eastern edge of Yuyao City, Hemudu Town is home to the world-renowned Hemudu Site. The town covers a total area of 65 square kilometers and has a population of 23,000. It administers 9 administrative villages and 3 neighborhood committees, with convenient water and land transportation. It is 35 kilometers from Ningbo Airport and Beilun Port. Both the Shanghai–Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway and the Hangzhou–Ningbo Canal run through the area. The town boasts abundant tourism resources, including the Hemudu Site Museum—personally inscribed by the former General Secretary and President of China—and the 1,200-year-old Lushan Zen Temple, among other scenic spots that captivate visitors. Since the reform and opening up, the town's economy and... Hemudu Town detailed information++