Zhouhe Site

Zhouhe Site

The Zhouhe Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Zhouhe Site is located in Zhouhe Village, Hongfanchi Township, Pingyin County, dating back to the Neolithic Age.

The Zhouhe Site is situated on a high terrace to the north of Zhouhe Village in Hongfanchi Town, Pingyin County, Shandong Province, along the upper reaches of the Langxi River in the mountain valley of the Langxi River basin, covering a total area of more than 250,000 square meters. Blessed with picturesque scenery and fertile soil, it has been a vital habitat for human settlement since ancient times. Within just a narrow stretch of about ten kilometers, as many as 15 ancient cultural sites have been discovered. The Zhouhe Site is renowned for its large area, early period, and long continuity. Based on collected samples, it shows cultural remains from the Beixin Culture and the Dawenkou Culture of the Neolithic Age, the Longshan Culture, continuing through the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods of the slave society, and further into the Qin and Han dynasties of the feudal society.

The site was test-excavated in 1998 by the Department of Archaeology at Shandong University. The excavation report has not yet been published. From the exposed sections along the riverbanks on the western and northern edges of the site, the cultural layer varies in thickness from 1 to 2 meters. The surface cultural layer has been damaged during villagers’ activities such as digging tree pits and repairing field ridges, exposing numerous ash pits, firing pits, fired clay chunks, as well as stone and pottery fragments. Other artifacts include pottery paddles, spinning whorls, bone needles, stone chimes, and stone grinding plates. The pottery best reflects the cultural characteristics. There are two types: sandy clay pottery and fine clay pottery. The sandy clay pottery is relatively soft and mostly yellowish-brown in color, while the fine clay pottery is fired at higher temperatures, resulting in a harder texture, predominantly red or reddish-brown in color. The decorative patterns include stacked patterns, comb-incised lines, nipple-shaped motifs, fingernail impressions, and puncture marks, along with a small number of banded designs. Stacked patterns often consist of several narrow short clay strips arranged in groups to form various designs. Particularly notable are the red-rimmed bowls (fragments) with banded painted patterns, which are typical features of the Beixin Culture, estimated to date back around 7,000 years, and represent the first discovery of such remains in Pingyin.

A large number of sandy red pottery and mixed clay red pottery fragments were also found, including tripod feet and perforated bean-pot handles from the Dawenkou Culture, along with a small amount of hard white pottery. Additionally, numerous fragments of cooking and storage vessels from the Longshan Culture were discovered, such as pottery gui (a type of vessel) feet and “ghost face” tripod feet.

The latest cultural remains found at the site date to the Han Dynasty. Through classification and study of the artifacts, it has been determined that the site shows continuous cultural development from the Beixin Culture, through the Dawenkou Culture, Longshan Culture, Yueshi Culture, Shang and Zhou periods, all the way to the Han Dynasty — spanning over 7,000 years without any gaps. It is a precious prehistoric site at the junction of Jinan region and southwestern Shandong, serving as an invaluable and intact textbook for studying the prehistoric to Han Dynasty economy, art, and human activities in the Pingyin area.

On June 12, 1992, the Zhouhe Site was designated as part of the second batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units by the People’s Government of Shandong Province.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units