Hemudu Site

Hemudu Site

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

The Hemudu Site is located in Hemudu Village, Luojiang Commune, Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province.

Discovered in the summer of 1973, the Hemudu Site was found by chance when farmers from the village were constructing a drainage pumping station to the northeast. This world-famous site is a Neolithic settlement with a total area of around 40,000 square meters and a deposit depth of approximately 4 meters, encompassing four cultural layers. Radiocarbon dating of artifacts from the fourth layer indicates that it dates back about 6,000 to 7,000 years.

The site features rows of wooden posts and plank piles arranged in a fan-like pattern along a small hillside following a distinct order. These are stilt-style buildings, with the larger structures extending over 23 meters in length and about 7 meters in depth, including a front porch that is 1.3 meters deep. Many wooden components have mortise and tenon joints, demonstrating the use of mortise-and-tenon construction techniques — the earliest known examples of such woodworking in ancient Chinese architecture.

A large quantity of well-preserved rice grains was found at the site, identified as both indica and japonica varieties of cultivated rice. The abundance, excellent preservation, and wide distribution of rice remains at Hemudu are extremely rare among Neolithic sites discovered to date, filling the gap in China’s Neolithic archaeological record of having “japonica but no indica.” Additionally, unearthed items such as bone plows, wooden boxes, bone sickles, and timber tools used in agriculture or grain processing were also found. These discoveries confirm that as early as 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, agriculture had become a primary sector of production in the region. The discovery of large amounts of rice at Hemudu is also highly significant — previously, India was thought to be the origin of Asian rice, but findings here prove that rice cultivation in Hemudu predates the earliest known Indian rice by more than 3,000 years.

The Hemudu Site has also yielded numerous animal bones, including those of domesticated pigs, dogs, and water buffalo, as well as wild species such as deer, red deer, wild boar, bears, and animals now extinct in the area like elephants and rhinoceroses. These finds are of great value for studying the evolution of ancient climates and the origins of early animal husbandry.

The primitive art of Hemudu culture is rich and varied, featuring carved and modeled patterns of animals and plants on pottery, as well as pottery sculptures of pigs, sheep, and human heads. There are also works of bone carving and ivory carving, and bone whistles that can still produce music today. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

The discovery of the Hemudu Site proves that as early as 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River already had a relatively advanced primitive culture and is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.

Suggested Visit Duration

2 hours

Transportation

Bus: 1. Take a local bus from Ningbo North Bus Station or Yuyao East Bus Station heading toward Luojiang. Buses depart frequently. 2. Take Bus No. 301 from downtown to the terminal stop Tianxiayuyuan Station (about 50 minutes, 2 RMB), then transfer to Bus No. 515 to the Hemudu Site stop (2 RMB). Walk about 300 meters along the path and take the ferry to the site (6 RMB). Return the same way after your visit.

Self-driving: 1. Via Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway: A. Exit at Yuyao, turn right onto Yuyao Eastern Ring Road and Provincial Highway S61 to Sanqishi Town; follow signs to the Hemudu Site Museum. B. Exit at Yuyao or Dayin, take Provincial Highway S59 to Chemu, cross the Chemu Bridge, and follow signs to the Hemudu Site Museum.

2. Via Hangzhou Bay Bridge: A. Exit at Andong, take Liangzhou Road to Yuyao, then drive along Provincial Highway S61 to Sanqishi Town; follow signs to the Hemudu Site Museum.

B. Exit at Cicheng on the Hangzhou Bay Bridge South Approach Road, take Provincial Highway S61 to Sanqishi Town; follow signs to the Hemudu Site Museum.

Admission

Free. Guided tours: Mandarin tour 50 RMB per group (up to 30 people), foreign language tours (English, Japanese) 80 RMB per group (up to 30 people). Tours cover the museum exhibition hall only. No advance booking available.

Opening Hours

April–October: 8:30–17:00 (Last entry at 16:30)

Guided tour hours: 8:30–11:00, 13:30–16:00

November–March: 8:30–16:30 (Last entry at 16:00)

Guided tour hours: 8:30–11:00, 13:00–15:50

Location

210 County Road, Yuyao City, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province

Hemudu Village: Hemudu Village…… More information on Hemudu Village++

Further Reading:

· Zhejiang Province’s Second Batch of Provincial Archaeological Site Parks

·Second Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level