Xufan Site

Xufan Site

The Xufan Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Henan Province.

The Xufan Site is located in the southwestern part of Hefan Village, Nanxiangdian Township, approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Guangshan County. It lies among the three natural villages of Shanghe, Xincun, and Wangweizi in Hefan.

The site is a high terrace along a river bend, stretching about 500 meters from north to south and 400 meters from east to west, covering an area of 200,000 square meters. The Qinglong River (a tributary of the Huai River) flows from south to north close to the eastern edge of the site. A small stream, now dried up, about 10 meters wide, runs from north to south through the middle of the site, dividing it into two parts before turning eastward to flow into the Qinglong River.

Since its discovery during the 1979 cultural relics survey, the Xufan Site has been investigated several times by provincial, regional, and county authorities. The exposed sections of the site reveal clear stratification from top to bottom: cultivated soil, ash soil, dark gray soil, fired red soil, and yellow-brown soil, all loose in texture. The cultural layer is mainly distributed to the west of Xufan Natural Village, with a thickness of 1–2 meters.

The Xufan Site is rich in content. Although it has not been formally excavated, irregular-shaped ash pits were observed on the exposed sections during surveys. These pits are about 3 meters in diameter and 2 meters deep, with uneven bottoms filled with gray humus soil. Artifacts found include fragments of sandy red pottery and clay gray pottery. Additionally, stone tools, pottery shards, tripod legs, and li (ancient cooking vessel) feet are abundant on the surface. Some specimens were collected during the survey. Among the daily-use items, pottery dominates, with sandy gray pottery and clay red pottery being the most common, especially red pottery. Sandy red pottery and clay gray pottery come next, while clay black pottery is rare. Recognizable artifacts include ding (tripods), guan (jars), bowls, cups, hu (vessels), dou (bean pots), weng (urns), li, and bowls. Tripod feet are either duck-bill shaped or lateral. Hu and dou have ring feet. In addition to plain, polished surfaces, the pottery features decorative patterns such as basketry, rope, grid, and incised lines, mostly hand-made. Stone tools are predominant among production implements, including stone axes, adzes, sickles, and chisels, as well as roughly worked stone materials. Most stone tools are polished, some entirely and others just at the cutting edges, with clear signs of use.

Based on the survey of the Xufan Site and analysis of the collected samples and decorative patterns, the site is identified as belonging to the Qujialing culture type. There are signs of fusion between the “Hubei Qujialing Culture” and the “Henan Longshan Culture,” yet some artifacts also exhibit features of the Yangshao culture. The site also contains cultural remains from the pre-Shang, Shang, and Western Zhou periods, showcasing distinct local characteristics of the Huai River basin. Excavation of the site could provide valuable insights into the primitive cultures of southern Henan and the regions of the Yellow River, Huai River, and Yangtze River basins.

The Xufan Site was designated as a county-level cultural heritage protection unit by the Guangshan County Revolutionary Committee in January 1980, upgraded to a provincial-level protection unit by the Henan Provincial People’s Government in November 1986, and its protected area was officially demarcated by the Guangshan County Cultural Relics Management Committee in 1988.

Hefan Village: Located in the northwestern part of Nanxiangdian Township, bordering Luochen Township, Hefan Village is situated in a shallow mountainous and hilly area. The village has a total of 1,267 mu of arable land and 2,031 mu of forested land, along with 2 dams, 3 lakes, and 60 ponds. It comprises 16 villager groups, with a total population of 2,086 people across 435 households.

Village Party Branch Secretary: Yu Qingfu

Village Committee Director: He Shoujun…… More details about Hefan Village++

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units