Zhugang Site in Neixiang

Neixiang Zhugang Site

The Neixiang Zhugang Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Henan Province.

The Zhugang Site belongs to the Yangshao culture of the Neolithic Age and is located in Zhugang Village, approximately 3 kilometers southeast of Mashankou Town, Neixiang County. It lies 300 meters north of the Mo River, with the Mo River alluvial plain to the east, farmland to the south, and a highway along its western side. The site is an irregular rectangle, 170 meters wide from east to west and 300 meters long from north to south, with a total area of about 50,000 square meters. The cultural deposit layer is 2 to 7 meters thick. On November 21, 1986, it was designated as part of the second batch of provincial-level protected cultural heritage sites by the People's Government of Henan Province.

The site has not been excavated. However, observations of the cross-sections around the site have revealed numerous house foundations, red fired earth, ash pits, tombs, stone tools, pottery, and a large number of animal bones. Below the burned earth layer on the western side of the southern part of the site, a complete gray pottery jar with sand inclusions was discovered. Inside the jar were remnants of freshwater mussel shell fragments and crab claws, and a large number of sea snail shells and an urn coffin were also found nearby. Surface-collected samples include stone and pottery artifacts, while natural remains consist of bones from pigs, deer, fish, clams, and snails. The stone tools are mainly polished types, including stone axes, net sinkers, arrowheads, spades, and adzes. The pottery mainly consists of tripods, jars, pots, basins, and pedestals. Shapes include flat-bottomed, tripod, and ring-foot vessels, made from materials such as sandy clay and fine clay. Gray pottery dominates, but red pottery accounts for a significant proportion. Decorative patterns include cord marks, appliqué, and incised lines. Red pottery often features a red base, while painted pottery is primarily red with black designs. Typical items include hemispherical, round-bottomed painted pottery bowls, rolled-rim, bulging-bellied, flat-bottomed jars, and double jars with flared mouths. In April 1988, a geometric-patterned painted pottery cylindrical vessel (pottery beater drum) collected from local residents near the site marked the first discovery of such an item south of the Yellow River.

Mashankou Town: Mashankou Town is situated at the southern foot of the Funiu Mountains, which are part of the Qinling Mountain range. It lies 33 kilometers northeast of Neixiang County and is located at the junction of Neixiang, Zhenping, and Nanzhao counties. This mountainous town features a mix of mountainous, hilly, and plains terrain, with the Mo River flowing from north to south through the entire region. The town covers an area of 283 square kilometers and administers one neighborhood committee and 24 administrative villages: Mashankou Town Neighborhood Committee, Yangan Village, Ciyuan Village, Yuegang Village, Dazhai Village, Simiao Village, Anbei Village, Hekou Village, Duluo Village, Shimiao Village, Zhumiao Village, Damogang Village, Baimiao Village, Sanchahe Village, Guandi Ping Village, Huabei Village, Lijing Village, Wangchang Village, Tanghe... More detailed information about Mashankou Town++