Xiaopanzhuang Site

Xiaopanzhuang Site

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

The Xiaopanzhuang Site is located in Xiaopanzhuang Village, northwest of Chushan Town, Xiping County, 37 kilometers from the county seat of Xiping. The site sits on a terrace between two tributaries of the upper reaches of the Bronze River, covering an area of 469,500 square meters at an elevation of 82.8 meters. The terrain gradually rises from south to north, and Provincial Highway S331 runs through the middle of the site.

Judging from the cultural relics found on the upper surface of the site, the northern part consists of Han Dynasty cultural deposits, extending 300 meters north of Xiaopanzhuang Village with a width of 215 meters from east to west, while Han Dynasty relics gradually disappear toward the south. The surface of the southern part of the village reveals cultural remains from the Xia to Shang periods. During the construction of Provincial Highway S331, cultural features such as ash pits, wells, and urn burials were exposed in the road trench cliffs on both sides. Based on the pottery material, color, decoration, and vessel types of the unearthed artifacts, they are identified as belonging to the Neolithic cultural type. In the western part of the site, southwest of Xiaopanzhuang, a large number of cultural relics from the Warring States period were discovered, including fragments of containers such as basins and jars. These cultural remains indicate that the Xiaopanzhuang Site is a large cultural site encompassing various periods from the Xia-Shang dynasties to the Han Dynasty.

When Provincial Highway S331 (Gaolan Road) was constructed, it passed through the southern part of the site, and cultural layer deposits up to 1.5 meters deep along with some features were found in the soil excavation ditches on both sides. The cultural layers can be divided into three levels from top to bottom. The first layer is a gray soil layer, widely distributed on the same plane of the trench wall, 0.35 to 0.7 meters thick, with loose soil containing red fired soil particles, ash particles, and jiaojiangshi (fired clay) particles. This layer yielded abundant pottery fragments. The second layer is brownish-gray soil, harder and granular, 0.15 to 0.25 meters thick, also containing red fired soil particles, ash particles, and jiaojiangshi particles, but with fewer pottery fragments. The third layer is brown soil, hard and granular, with small amounts of ash particles and red fired soil particles, where pottery fragments are rarely found. The cultural features include wells, ash pits, and urn burials. The wells are circular in plan, with straight walls, and the fill soil is light gray, loose, and rich in red fired soil particles, ash particles, and pottery fragments. The ash pits have irregular shapes, sloping walls downward, uneven bottoms, and were mostly formed by ancient soil extraction. Only one urn burial was found, made of sandy gray-brown pottery, fully decorated with coarse blue patterns, featuring a square lip, folded rim, and round base. The pottery fragments collected from these cultural layers and features are predominantly sandy pottery, followed by clay pottery; the colors are mainly gray, followed by dark gray, with small amounts of brownish-red; the decorations are predominantly blue patterns, followed by plain surfaces, with some grid patterns. Identifiable vessel shapes include jars, bowls, steamers, and tripods. Additionally, stone axes, stone arrowheads, and stone adzes, among other production tools, were collected from the surface of the site. Based on their shapes, they resemble those of the Neolithic cultural type and fall within the category of early Shang culture. These cultural remains prove that the site is a large settlement from the Xia-Shang to Han Dynasty periods.

The Xiaopanzhuang Site is situated in the gentle slopes of the foothills of the Funiu Mountain range. Although the cultural layer is thin, it has been minimally disturbed, and the finds display typical characteristics of Neolithic culture. However, unlike other Neolithic sites, bone fragments and bone-made production or weapons are rarely seen here. The site reflects the transitional characteristics from mountainous to Central Plains cultures during the Xia-Shang periods. Research on this site is significant for understanding the production, living, and residential conditions of people at the time, and it provides new physical evidence for the Xia-Shang chronological project. It is the first first-level settlement site discovered in Zhumadian City.

The upper part of the Xiaopanzhuang Site is currently farmland. In the spring of 2003, during the construction of Provincial Highway S331 (Gaolan Road), the road passed through the upper part of the site, and soil excavation for raising the roadbed slightly damaged the site, though the rest of the site remains well-preserved. In 2006, the People's Government of Henan Province designated it as a fourth batch cultural heritage protection unit.

Chushan Town: Chushan Town is one of the larger market towns in Xiping County, located 50 kilometers west of the county seat. It borders Wugang City to the west, connects to Luohe and Zhumadian via Xichu Highway to the east, and adjoins Wuyang County and Pingdingshan City to the north. The provincial key project Gaolan Highway runs through the town. The town covers a total area of 48.5 square kilometers, governs 12 administrative villages, has 43,000 mu of cultivated land, and a population of over 27,000. It has well-developed animal husbandry and crop farming, convenient transportation, fertile land, abundant produce, and a prosperous economy, historically being a hub for merchants.　

The town has a water area of 3,000 mu and includes six medium and small... More details about Chushan Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units of Henan Province