Niuzhai Site

Niuzhai Site

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

The Niuzhai Site is located in Niuzhai Village, Songji Township, about 15 kilometers north of Xiping County. It lies approximately 1,200 meters west of Laohongzhuang and 900 meters south of Xuzhuang, at the edge of the Laowangpo Flood Detention Area in Xiping County, at an elevation of 58.4 meters. The site currently appears as a gently sloping earthen mound protruding from the ground, with its highest point about 2.5 meters above the surrounding terrain.

Based on the surface relics collected during surveys, artifacts from both the Shang Dynasty and the Han Dynasty have been found, primarily consisting of fragments of daily utensils and construction materials. The site is situated at the edge of the Laowangpo Flood Detention Area, with relatively thick silt deposits on the surface. In the autumn of 2005, when an oil pipeline was being laid from north to south, a 2-meter-wide trench was dug across the site. Observations of the trench’s sidewalls revealed that cultural layers extended 2.5 meters deep, yielding artifacts belonging to the Xinzhai type of the Neolithic culture. The composition of the lower strata remains unclear, but this location is believed to be a Neolithic cultural site.

Only archaeological surveys have been conducted at the site. Judging from the shapes of collected artifact samples and the types of pottery assemblages, there are many similarities with the Neolithic cultures of the Songshan region and Phase V of the Haojia Tai Site in Yancheng. Some features are also close to those of Phase I of the Erlitou Culture, roughly corresponding to the late period of the Longshan Culture in Henan. Considering the geographical location of the Niuzhai Site, it lies about 10 kilometers east of the Shangpo Site, a key cultural heritage protection unit in Henan Province, and approximately 15 kilometers north of the Haojia Tai Site in Yancheng. A comparison of the cultural relics unearthed at the Niuzhai Site with those from the Shangpo and Haojia Tai Sites indicates that the three sites date to roughly the same period and are residential settlements from the Longshan to Erlitou cultures of the Neolithic period in southern Henan. The discovery and study of the Niuzhai Site have enriched our understanding of the Neolithic cultural heritage in southern Henan and provided scientific evidence for dating the transition between the Xia and Shang dynasties. In 2008, it was designated as part of the fifth batch of cultural heritage protection units by the Henan Provincial People's Government.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Henan Province