Beixin Site

Beixin Site

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

The Beixin Site is located on the southern bank of the ancient Xue River, at the northern end of Beixin Village in the southeast of Guanqiao Town, covering an area of approximately 50,000 square meters. This site was first discovered during the provincial cultural relics survey in 1964, and was excavated by the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences from the winter of 1978 to the spring of 1979. Over 2,000 artifacts including pottery and stone tools were unearthed. Scientific analysis has determined that this site dates back approximately 7,300 to 8,400 years, making it the earliest Neolithic site discovered in China's Huang-Huai region. As this cultural site reflects a unique cultural character, it was officially named the Beixin Culture by the state and announced to the world in 1982, subsequently being included in national school textbooks. In 1992, the Beixin Site was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People’s Government of Shandong Province.

The economy during the Beixin period was primarily agricultural. The site yielded a full set of farming tools along with millet grains. From stone spades for plowing, antler hoes, pointed horn implements used for sowing, to shell sickles for harvesting and stone grinding plates and rollers for threshing, these artifacts played a significant role in studying the agricultural production of the time. Meanwhile, the unearthed pottery, which shows relatively primitive craftsmanship, includes both sandy-clay pottery and fine clay pottery, with decorative patterns such as appliqué ridges, incised lines, and fingernail impressions—indicating the emergence of handicrafts during the Beixin period. The site also uncovered pig skull fossils resembling domesticated pigs, updating the history of pig domestication in China.

The excavation of the Beixin Site and the naming of the “Beixin Culture” represent a major discovery in the Neolithic era of the Haidai cultural zone and serve as the origin of the Dawenkou Culture in Shandong. This advancement pushed prehistoric archaeology in Shandong significantly forward and holds great historical significance.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units