Niujia Site

Niujia Site

The Niujia Site is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Shandong Province.

The Niujia Site is located about 200 meters north of Niujia Village, Guangrao Subdistrict, Guangrao County. About 1,000 meters to the south is Baiwu Village, and about 1,000 meters to the east is a north-south production road. To the north of the site there is an east-west production road and an artificial ditch. The terrain gradually rises from south to north, with an ancient east-west river channel in the southern part, commonly referred to by locals as Beigouya. The site is situated on a plain with open views, currently used as farmland, surrounded by few trees. The soil is grayish-red and clayey with granular texture. In 1987, the Guangrao County Cultural Relics Survey Team conducted the first survey of the Niujia Site, followed by multiple on-site investigations where a large number of pottery fragments were discovered. From the cross-section of the ditch, the cultural layer of the site is about 2 meters thick, with very rich content; fragments of artifacts can be found scattered all over the ground. The collected samples mainly include: pottery gui feet, pottery ding feet, pottery cup rims, pottery li bellies, and other artifact fragments. The decorative patterns are mainly string patterns and rope patterns, with the pottery colors primarily polished black pottery and gray pottery. At the center of the site, there were originally several red soil mounds mixed with a large number of polished black pottery fragments from the Longshan Culture period. The soil is red and grayish-brown with granular texture, possibly indicating an ancient kiln site. Based on the analysis of the collected unearthed artifact samples, the Niujia Site is an ancient cultural site dating from the Longshan Culture of the Neolithic Age to the Han Dynasty. The Longshan Culture dates back about four to five thousand years, slightly later than the Dawenkou Culture, with representative artifacts mainly including pottery gui and polished black pottery. The discovery of the Niujia Site is of great significance for studying the activities of early humans.

On June 23, 2015, the Niujia Site was announced by the People's Government of Shandong Province as part of the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage conservation units in Shandong Province.

La'an Subdistrict: Guangrao Economic Development Zone (La'an Subdistrict Office) is a provincial-level economic development zone approved by the People's Government of Shandong Province. It administers 77 villages with a population of about 70,000, covering a total planned area of 100 square kilometers. It serves as a window and base for Guangrao County to develop an export-oriented economy and promote all-round opening up. In March 2006, it successfully passed the national development and reform commission’s provincial-level development zone review and acceptance; in December, it was rated as one of the “Top Ten Most Economically Dynamic Parks in Shandong” by the Shandong County Economy Research Association and nine other organizations. In January 2010, it was recognized by the Shandong Urban Economics Society and other institutions... More details about La'an Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Units in Shandong Province