Zengpiyan Site

Zengpiyan Site

The Zengpiyan Site is a national key cultural relics protection unit.

The Zengpiyan Site is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Located at No. 26 Zengpiyan Road, Guilin City, Guangxi, at the intersection of Guiyang Highway and Wanfu Road, it is about 8 kilometers from the city center and accessible by bus. It is the only national-level Neolithic cave site cultural scenic area in southern China. On January 28, 1986, - paid a special visit to the site.

The site was opened to the public in 1978 and covers an area of 50,000 square meters. The Zengpiyan Site includes the main cave, the low cave, and the water cave, with a total cave area of about 1,000 square meters. Discovered in 1965, it underwent two archaeological excavations in 1973 and 2001, yielding thousands of stone, bone, shell, horn, tooth, and pottery fragments. It has revealed China’s most primitive pottery and the earliest stone tool workshop in a Neolithic cave site. Thirty-two ancient human skeletons were excavated, most of which were in the unique flexed burial position. A total of 113 species of aquatic and terrestrial animal remains discarded by ancient humans were found, including the extinct species “Elegant Li River Deer” (a mammal) and “Guilin Guangxi Bird” (a bird), both discovered for the first time. Nearly 200 types of plant spores and carbonized materials were identified, among which were the earliest osmanthus seeds in China, dating back approximately 10,000 years. The relics and remains at the site document and showcase the development trajectory of Guilin’s prehistoric culture from 12,000 to 7,000 years ago. Recognized by archaeologists as “one of the most important benchmarks and databases for prehistoric archaeology in South China and Southeast Asia,” it is hailed as the “Pearl of Prehistory.” The scenic area consists of four major zones: the Cave Site Protection Zone, the Excavated Relics Exhibition Zone, the Dushan Ecological Protection Zone, and the Archaeological Simulation Park. Major attractions include the “Guilin People from 10,000 Years Ago” Relics Exhibition Hall, the Zengpiyan Cave, the “Resurrection” of the Zengpiyan People, Water Cave Exploration, Simulated Archaeology, the Scenic Wonders of Dushan Mountain, and the Archaeological Stele Garden.

Further Reading:

· China's National Third-Class Museum

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units