Xiayang Site

Xiayang Site

The Xiayang Site is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Anhui Province.

The Xiayang Site, dating back to the Neolithic Age, is located in Xiayang Village, Baidian Town, Guangde County. The site lies on a hillside west of the Xiayang River, covering an area of 47,000 square meters.

The site is located on a hillside west of the Xiayang River, covering an area of 47,000 square meters, with cultural relics often found on the surface over the years.

Major artifacts include sand-tempered pottery tripods, various stamped pottery shards, finely polished stone shovels, adzes, axes, plows, chiseled triangular plow-like tools, slanted-handle soil-cutting tools, and straight-handled stone knives.

The site is rich in content and holds significant importance for studying the late Neolithic culture of the lower Yangtze River region.

The Xiayang Site, dating from the late Neolithic to the Shang and Zhou periods, is situated at the eastern foot of Bijia Mountain in Xiayang Village, Baidian Town (formerly Lishan Township), Guangde County, on a tongue-shaped land called Qinglongzui on the south bank of the Xiayang River. It lies 9 meters above the riverbed, with a site area of approximately 33,000 square meters.

In the winter of 1981, farmers from the Shangchong villager group discovered several stone tools here.

In June 1982, officials from the county's cultural bureau conducted an investigation and confirmed it as a site. The cultural layer was severely damaged by kiln construction and soil extraction, with many pottery fragments scattered across the surface. The fragments included rims, tripod and li (tripod cauldron) feet. The pottery was mainly sand-tempered gray, followed by sand-tempered brown and red types, all with hard texture. The decorative patterns included fine grids or diagonal net patterns, loop thunder motifs, wave patterns, and geometric designs. Collected tripod and li feet were plain, cylindrical, and fired at low temperatures. Stone tools included shovels, adzes, axes, and knife-like cutting implements. Made from gray-brown slate or bluestone, they were fully polished, with blades showing signs of use.

In 1990, farmers discovered several new Neolithic stone farming tools such as plow-like implements and soil-breaking tools (also called slanted-handle knives), which were particularly noteworthy. The plow-like tool was made from a pebble, irregularly triangular in shape with edges on both sides, and polished on both faces; it measured 24.5 cm at the base, 37.5 cm in height, and 1.35 cm in thickness. A 7 cm long and 6 cm wide notch was chiseled on one side of the base angle, and 4 cm from the center of the base edge, there was a circular double-sided hole. The soil-breaking tool was also made from a pebble, roughly triangular with a slightly curved base edge, polished into blades on both sides. It had a blade chord of 36.5 cm, a height of 20.5 cm, and a thickness of 1–3.7 cm. The upper slanted edge had a 9.5 cm wide and 9 cm deep notch, forming a slanted handle with the top, 8 cm long and 7 cm wide, with a 4 cm long and 2 cm wide notch on the upper part of the handle’s end. Signs of wear were clearly visible on load-bearing parts of both tools. Both tools are representative implements of the Liangzhu culture.

Compared to similar artifacts of the Liangzhu culture, the latter were chiseled while the former were finely polished, reflecting a relatively advanced level of agricultural economy in southeastern Anhui, represented by the Xiayang Site. They provide valuable physical evidence for studying the continuity with the Liangzhu culture.

In 1994, both types of artifacts were designated as first-class cultural relics. In May 1998, the site was announced as a provincial-level cultural heritage site by the Anhui Provincial Government.

Protected Area: East to the paddy field ridge of Qinglongzui, west to the residence of Li Maoda, stretching 350 meters from east to west and 180 meters from north to south.

Construction Control Zone: Extending 100 meters east, 20 meters west, and 90 meters south and north beyond the protected area.

Baidian Town: I. Natural Environment

Location and Area: Baidian Town is located in the southwestern part of Guangde County. Provincial Highway S215 (Guangning Road) runs from Chen Ci Group, Fengqiao Village at the entrance to Qianchengpu Group, Qiancheng Village at the exit — from kilometer 45.3 to 68.4, spanning a total of 23.1 kilometers. It passes through five villages and 56 villager groups including Fengqiao, Tuqiao, Baidian, and Qiancheng. Baidian Town borders Lucun Township to the east, Sihetuan Township to the south, Yangtan Township to the west, and Shijie Town and Chengguan Town to the north. “Baidian Town” is named after its administrative center “Baidian.” The Baidian Town Street Residents' Committee is located in Baidian… More detailed information about Baidian Town++