Beixin Northeast Site

Beixin Northeast Site

The Beixin Northeast Site is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shandong Province.

The Beixin Site is located in Beixin Village, Guanqiao Town, approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Tengxian County. To the north of the village lies a field called Zhaiqiangli, which is the site’s location. The Xue River flows from the northeast to the southwest toward Beixin Village, where it meets one of its tributaries (now abandoned, with only remnants of its former course remaining). Both geographically and in terms of river flow, this is not where a tributary meets the Xue River, but rather where the Xue River forms a branch here — the site is situated on this branch of the Xue River. The original landform may not have been surrounded by water on three sides, but rather was an island in the river. However, due to the relatively large size of the river island, the site was only located at the tip of the branch. Over time, due to years of erosion by rainwater, the northern branch gradually became silted up and blocked, and the river island ceased to exist. The site is located at the junction of plains and hills, at an altitude below 300 meters, with relatively flat terrain that generally slopes from the northeast to the southwest.

The stratigraphic deposits at the Beixin Site are relatively simple, consisting of only four layers, although some test pits are missing the fourth layer. The first layer is the plow soil layer, 15–35 cm thick. The second layer is reddish-brown soil, relatively hard in texture, containing a lot of fired clay chunks, 45–75 cm thick. The third layer consists of fired clay deposits and light brown soil. The light brown soil is slightly hard in texture and contains a small amount of fired clay chunks, 25–75 cm thick. The fourth layer is grayish-brown soil, relatively loose in texture, containing a small amount of small fired clay pieces, 15–50 cm thick. The second, third, and fourth layers all belong to the Beixin cultural stratum.

Since these deposits are only from the east wall profile of T705, they reflect the stratigraphic structure of the northwest corner of the site. Although they do not provide a broader perspective on the changes in the deposits, they do reflect the conditions of the most sensitive part of the site. This is because this location is on the southern bank of the river branch. The fourth layer has a grayish-brown color, is relatively loose in texture, and contains a small amount of small fired clay pieces. The pottery fragments found include a small number with stacked patterns, fingernail impressions, and incised barbs. The vessel shapes are mainly bowls, followed by tripods, jars, and ding vessels. This indicates that the area was once a riverside zone with high humus content in the soil. The small amount of fired clay and artifacts suggests that human activity was not intense, with a small population. The third layer consists of fired clay deposits and light brown soil. The light brown soil is slightly hard and contains a small amount of fired clay chunks. Among the unearthed pottery fragments, the sandy yellowish-brown pottery surfaces feature various patterns made of narrow stacked lines, though fewer in number than in the second layer, with bowls being the most common vessel shape, followed by ding vessels. By this time, the climate was tending toward drought, possibly with no water or only intermittent pools. Human activity increased in intensity. The second layer is reddish-brown soil, relatively hard in texture and containing a lot of fired clay chunks. It was cut through by a late Dawenkou culture burial (M701). The pottery fragments are mostly sandy yellowish-brown pottery, with surfaces featuring various patterns formed by narrow stacked lines, and the main vessel shapes are ding and bowls. At this time, the river channel may have been completely dry, and the river island where the site is located had entirely disappeared, merging with the surrounding land to the northwest. However, the river channel still maintained good vegetation, and animals continued to appear for some time. Afterward, the Beixin culture at this site disappeared due to significant changes in the natural environment.

In 2013, the Beixin Northeast Site was designated as part of the fourth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units by the People's Government of Shandong Province.

Beixin Village: Beixin Village... More details about Beixin Village++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units