Zhanglinggang

Zhanglinggang

Zhanglinggang is a cultural heritage site protected by Anyi County.

Era: Paleolithic Age

Type: Ancient Site

Address: CaoYan Mountain, Longjin Town, Anyi County, Jiangxi Province

Introduction:

Zhanglinggang is located on CaoYan Mountain in Longjin Town, Anyi County, Jiangxi Province, and is classified as a late Paleolithic site. In September 1988, Hu Xiangang, a young employee of the Anyi County Food Factory and an “archaeology enthusiast,” discovered Paleolithic stone tools at Zhanglinggang (known among Anyi’s scenic spots as the “Nine Dragons Galloping Over the Ridge”), located about 1.5 kilometers north of Anyi County. On December 22 of the same year, the findings were sent to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing for identification. In May 1989, experts from the IVPP and a team from the Jiangxi Provincial Archaeological Unit came to Anyi to conduct excavation and investigation work, which lasted nearly one month. To confirm this scientific discovery and find further supporting evidence, archaeologists reviewed documents such as the *Anyi County Annals*, *Anyi Soil Annals*, *Anyi—*, and local meteorological records. They also surveyed locations including Zhanglinggang to the north of the county town, Fenghuang Mountain to the east, Taishan Mountain to the west, and the banks of the Liao River to the south. This led to the discovery of a large number of Paleolithic stone artifacts, such as "stone cores," "flakes," "points," "choppers," and "scrapers." On July 7 of the same year, *China Culture Daily* published a report titled “Paleolithic Culture Discovered for the First Time in Jiangxi Province,” making this major discovery public nationwide for the first time: “A joint investigation team consisting of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Jiangxi Cultural Relics Work Team, and the Anyi County Cultural Center conducted surveys near the county town at Zhanglinggang, Fenghuang Mountain, and Shangxu Village, uncovering three Paleolithic sites and retrieving dozens of artifacts from the Paleolithic era. This marks the first discovery of Paleolithic culture in Jiangxi. It fills a gap in the known provincial distribution of Paleolithic sites in China, provides important material for the study of China’s Paleolithic culture, and pushes back the history of human activity in the Jiangxi region from around eight to nine thousand years ago to approximately fifty thousand years earlier.”