Xizhai Site

Xizhai Site

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

The Xizhai Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, located on a platform along the northern bank of the Luan River in the eastern part of Qianxi County, Hebei Province. It is a Neolithic site dating back over 6,000 years.

The site is elliptical in shape, covering an area of 96,200 square meters. Important remains such as sacrificial sites, house foundations, and accumulations of artifacts have been discovered, along with nearly 5,000 intact or restorable relics. The site can be broadly divided into two phases: the first phase predates the Xinglongwa Culture slightly but is roughly contemporary with the middle period of the Shangzhai Culture and the lower layer of the Xinle Culture; the second phase corresponds roughly to the Zhaobaogou Culture.

The Xizhai Site is a large-scale prehistoric settlement that integrated religious ceremonies, habitation, pottery-making, stone-tool production, fishing, and hunting, reflecting the cultural characteristics and evolutionary sequence of the Neolithic Age in the middle and lower reaches of the Luan River. The discovery of the sacrificial site and sun-patterned stone carvings is of great significance for studying the emergence and development of ancient religion and art. Archaeological findings at the Xizhai Site also reveal a highly developed fishing industry at the time.

This site provides valuable physical evidence for researching the formation and characteristics of the primitive culture in the Luan River Basin. In June 2001, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units