The Hashiu Site

The Hashiu Site

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

Era: Neolithic Age

The Hashiu Site is located in Sharzong Township, Barkam County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and is the earliest Neolithic site discovered in the Sichuan region. Situated on the third terrace of the northern bank of the Chabao River, the site stretches approximately 380 meters from east to west and about 260 meters from north to south, covering a total area of nearly 100,000 square meters. The cultural deposits at the site can be divided into remains from the Qin-Han period and the Neolithic period. The Qin-Han remains are mainly found along the edge of the southern terrace, where they have suffered severe damage; the Neolithic remains are more widely distributed, with their central part located on the terrace in the northwest of the site, covering an area of nearly 10,000 square meters, though some parts have been disturbed by later land modifications.

The site has unearthed over a thousand artifacts including the earliest pottery human face sculpture in Sichuan, a red-painted double-hole stone axe, a perforated concave-back jade knife, and one of the most intact pottery small-mouthed pointed-bottom bottles in Sichuan. The trial excavation of the Hashiu Site has provided important clues for exploring the origins of ancient Shu culture.

In May 2013, it was designated and announced as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Protected Area: A 5-meter buffer zone extending beyond the terrace where the site is located.

Construction Control Zone: A 20-meter buffer zone extending beyond the protected area.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units