Kuahuqiao Site

Kuahuqiao Site

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

The Kuahuqiao Site is located in Xianghu Village, Chengxiang Subdistrict, about 4 kilometers southwest of Xiaoshan urban area in Zhejiang Province.

Approximately 3 kilometers southwest of the site is the confluence of the Qiantang River, Fuchun River, and Puyang River, where the rivers form a winding course before turning north and then eastward into the East China Sea. The site is bordered by low hills to the north and south; beyond the northern hills, the Qiantang River is visible, while to the south are the continuous eastern-western ridges of the Kuaiji Mountain range. The Kuahuqiao Site is named after a bridge that once connected the upper and lower sections of the ancient Xiang Lake. Owing to long-term accumulation of lakebed silt, the surface soil at the site reaches a thickness of 3 to 4 meters, helping to preserve the relics in relatively intact condition.

The original area of the Kuahuqiao Site spanned tens of thousands of square meters. Through three archaeological excavations conducted in 1990, 2001, and 2002, approximately 1,030 square meters have been unearthed. The site’s deposits are 2–3 meters thick, rich in cultural content, and exhibit a unique character. Carbon-14 dating indicates the site dates back 7,000–8,000 years. A large number of artifacts have been excavated, including pottery, bone tools, wooden implements, stone tools, and cultivated rice. Carbon-14 and thermoluminescence dating place these objects between 8,000 and 7,000 years old. Common pottery types include tripods, dou (stemmed bowls), basins, cups, steamers, and jars, all featuring distinctive shapes and a significant proportion of painted pottery, categorized into interior and exterior designs. Over a thousand grains of cultivated rice were discovered, along with a dugout canoe dating back 7,500 years.

The cultural content of the Kuahuqiao Site differs from that of the Hemudu and Majiabang cultures, representing a new cultural type. The excavated cultivated rice remains push back the history of rice cultivation in Zhejiang by 1,000 years, and the unearthed dugout canoe is the earliest of its kind found in China to date.

The Kuahuqiao cultural site predates the Hemudu Site by 1,000 years and was, at the time of discovery, the earliest Neolithic cultural site found within Zhejiang Province. The cultural characteristics of the Kuahuqiao Site are highly distinctive; its discovery has pushed Zhejiang’s civilization history back to the early Neolithic period around 8,000 years ago, serving as important evidence of Zhejiang’s long history and profound cultural heritage. It also strongly reaffirms that the Yangtze River basin is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.

In 2002, the Kuahuqiao Site was honored as one of the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of 2001 in China.” In 2006, as a prehistoric site from the Neolithic period, it was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Chengxiang Subdistrict: Located at the economic and cultural center of Xiaoshan District, Chengxiang Subdistrict borders Beigan Subdistrict to the north, Xintang Subdistrict to the east, Shushan Subdistrict to the south, and Xixing Subdistrict of Binjiang District to the west.

Situated at the economic and cultural heart of Xiaoshan, Chengxiang Subdistrict is the birthplace of the city and a pioneer in its urbanization. The subdistrict covers an area of 22 square kilometers. According to statistics from the Chengxiang Police Station in October 2011, the registered resident population was 118,529, with 39,055 registered migrant residents.

The subdistrict governs 33 communities, including 22 urban communities, … Chengxiang Subdistrict Detailed Information++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units