Hejiaba Prehistoric Site

Hejiaba Prehistoric Site

The Hejiaba Prehistoric Site is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

On the stoves of many residents' homes in Guabang Town, Miyi County, there is a type of stone called "Lei Xiaozi" (Thunder Chopper), which is said to be objects fallen from the sky when the Thunder God was enraged. Folklore also claims that when a woman experiences difficult childbirth, boiling the "Lei Xiaozi" until red-hot and drinking the water can help induce labor. These smoothly polished stones indeed feel quite mysterious.

In 1987, villagers digging an irrigation channel unearthed two intact double-handled pottery jars and piles of accumulated materials consisting of pottery shards, pots, and black charcoal particles (clay) at a depth of 2.5 meters below the surface. Later, they also discovered smaller, roughly made and primitive polished stone tools such as stone axes, adzes, sickles, perforators (possibly stone spinning wheels or ornaments), and arrowheads (or spear tips). This discovery not only solved the mystery of the "Lei Xiaozi," but also provided valuable physical evidence for studying the cultural types and the living conditions of ancient humans in the Anning River Basin and surrounding regions.

It turns out that around 4,000 to 3,000 years ago, descendants of the Yellow Emperor thrived and multiplied at Hejiaba on the western bank of the Anning River. With their diligent hands and self-made stone tools, they transformed nature and created a way of life. Artifacts unearthed from the Hejiaba site include Neolithic period sandy pottery fragments and polished stone tools. Cultural relics experts confirmed the presence of kiln sites for pottery firing here, identifying the Hejiaba site as a "Neolithic human activity site." Along with other prehistoric sites in Miyi and neighboring areas—such as the late Paleolithic Homo sapiens cave site at Huilongwan in Panzhihua, the Xicaoping cave site, the Geli Ping cave site, as well as the Neolithic sites of Xiawan and Hongxing—these findings collectively support the theory that "the Panxi Rift Valley is the cradle of humanity," changing the previous perception of the Panxi region as barren land.

The mysterious "Lei Xiaozi" turned out to be tools used by our ancestors ! On December 31, 2002, the Hejiaba Site in Guabang Town, Miyi County, was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Strolling across this land spanning over 10,000 square meters, enveloped by a strong sense of ancient atmosphere, one’s thoughts run freely, as if the distant history is right before your eyes.

Regarding the place name "Hejiaba," it is said to have historical roots. Among the residents of Group 6 in present-day Guabang Village, about 100 people share the surname "He." According to the He family genealogy, their ancestor was named He Shengchang. His father, He Quanju, migrated alone from Taiping Village, Wuping County (now Longyan City), Tingzhou Prefecture, Fujian, to Hejiawan in Ninghua Township, present-day Miyi County. When grown, He Shengchang moved from Hejiawan to this location, where he raised a family, prospered, and ushered in the golden age of the He family. All four of his sons attended the Imperial College, with the second son He Kaigui and third son He Kairong achieving scholarly honors and being granted the official title of fifth-rank officials with blue feather insignia by Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty—a fact evidenced by an imperial plaque from the 13th year of Daoguang (1833). After their academic success, the two sons invested heavily in constructing the grand He Family Courtyard, covering approximately six acres, adorned with carved flowers and mythical beasts, exuding remarkable splendor. Outside the main gate stood a tall screen wall, with a wide lawn in front. Tall locust trees, cypress trees, and mosquito trees grew behind and beside the houses. Less than a hundred meters west of the He Family Courtyard, river water from the Xianshan Mountain in Huangcao Township, Miyi County, flowed along a winding “stone dragon” path onto the fertile lands of the Hejiaba Dam. On such a piece of land, the He family lived in peace and prosperity, gaining widespread fame, so that people from nearby villages began to call this place Hejiaba.

Those interested may also learn of another historical episode. In the second year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1863), Shi Dakai, the Wing King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was ambushed here by the local chieftain Zhang Zaigong. Both sides suffered casualties, but the Taiping Army eventually captured the area and set the chieftain’s yamen on fire. Among the rocks of the "Beggar’s Rock" area in present-day Guabang, there remains a Taiping-era earthen cannon, which can be shaken but not pulled out.

Protected area: 5 meters beyond the distribution limits of the site.

Construction control zone: 50 meters beyond the protected area.