The Xiaobaiyang Tomb Cluster

Xiaobaiyang Tomb Cluster

The Xiaobaiyang Tomb Cluster is a protected cultural heritage site of Hebei Province.

The Xiaobaiyang Tomb Cluster is located on a small hillside 1,000 meters west of Xiaobaiyang Village, Lijiabu Township, Xuanhua County. The burial ground stretches 160 meters from north to south and 80 meters from east to west, covering an area of 3,450 square meters.

The site features abundant remains mainly of the Upper Xiajiadian Culture, along with cultural elements from the Great Wall region of Inner Mongolia. To further investigate the contents of the burial ground, a salvage excavation was carried out from April to May 1985. This excavation uncovered 11 tombs and 48 burial pits, all rectangular vertical earthen shafts. Burial objects included pottery, weapons, and production tools, as well as a wide variety of ornaments such as bronze studs, bronze plaque ornaments, and various bone and stone beads.

The excavation of the Xiaobaiyang Tomb Site marked the first significant archaeological achievement in northwestern Hebei Province in recent years. The remains represented by this site show distinct differences from contemporary remains in the Central Plains region in terms of cultural systems, exhibiting strong characteristics of northern ethnic minority cultures. It holds great significance for revealing the cultural features of minority groups during the Bronze Age in the Zhangjiakou area, as well as for exploring the archaeological cultural relationships between different systems in the same period across northern China.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Hebei Province