Mengjiaquan Site

Mengjiaquan Site

The Mengjiaquan Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Paleolithic Age

The Mengjiaquan Paleolithic Cultural Site is located north of Shizhuang Village, east of Yutian County, Hebei Province. It lies north of the Beijing-Shenyang Highway, west of the Ronghui River, and south of the Beijing-Qinhuangdao Railway. The surrounding area features flat terrain, well-developed transportation, densely populated villages, and pleasant scenery. The site spans 90 meters from east to west and 75 meters from north to south. It was originally a vast water spring and also one of the sources of the Ronghui River. In 1986, the spring began to dry up. During this time, local residents digging for soil discovered fossilized bones—animal remains—which led to the identification of the site as a Paleolithic cultural site.

In June 1986, Li Yi from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences came to Mengjiaquan. Together with local cultural relics departments, they conducted trial excavations and carbon-14 dating on some unearthed samples. They confirmed that the Mengjiaquan Site is a Paleolithic cultural site, which attracted high attention from relevant national authorities.

In September 1986, Professor Jia Lanpo, a renowned paleoanthropologist, inspected the site and spoke highly of it. In October, Li Yi and Dong Shi’an from the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out official excavations, digging a 5×5 meter test pit. They unearthed some horse and sheep teeth, fish teeth, and one Homo sapiens tooth. In April 1987, these unearthed samples were exhibited at the provincial achievements exhibition and received positive feedback. In June of the same year, Li Yi and others returned for further excavation but were unsuccessful due to high water levels.

On August 8, 1988, the Mengjiaquan Site was designated as a Tangshan Municipal Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In April 1990, a joint archaeological team from the provincial, municipal, and county levels, led by Xie Fei, conducted official excavations over an area of 200 square meters. They unearthed a human parietal bone, teeth, a large number of chipped stone tools, and fossils of 25 animal genera and species. On July 15, 1993, it was announced as part of the third batch of Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Units. In May 2013, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units