The Majiayuan Site and Cemetery Cluster

The Majiayuan Site and Cemetery Cluster

The Majiayuan Site and Cemetery Cluster is a cultural heritage site protected by Gansu Province.

The Majiayuan Site is located in Majiayuan, Taoyuan Village, Muhe Township, Zhangchuan Hui Autonomous County, covering an area of approximately 800,000 square meters. It dates back to the Qijia Culture and the Warring States Period.

It was discovered in 2001. Excavations were conducted in 2006 and from 2007 to 2008 by the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other organizations. The site includes remains from the Qijia Culture and a cemetery cluster from the Warring States Period. Among them, the Qijia Culture deposit is 1–3 meters thick, belonging to the Lower Changshan type. Red pottery shards with horizontal basket patterns and red pottery mixed with sand were found, along with numerous ash pits and house remains on the exposed cliffs. The cemetery consists of 59 tombs and sacrificial pits, distributed in a crescent shape centered around large tombs. All the tombs are vertical shaft pit graves with stepped entryways and side chambers. Medium and large tombs were buried with elaborately decorated chariots. A large number of gold and silver artifacts, glassware, and glass-like objects were unearthed among the grave goods.

The Majiayuan Site is a large-scale site that includes Neolithic cultural remains, as well as sacrificial pits and tomb clusters from the Warring States Period, showcasing rich cultural content. The stepped-entry vertical shaft pit graves with side chambers found in the Warring States cemetery represent a newly discovered tomb structure not seen in previous archaeological findings, providing important material for the study of the Rong culture of the Western Zhou period and the relationship between the Qin and Rong peoples.

Muhe Township: Muhe Township is located in the central-western part of Zhangchuan County, Gansu Province, about 12 kilometers from the county seat. The township administers 15 villages, 72 villager groups, with 3,724 households and a population of 19,132. In 2006, the total grain output of the township was 5,670 tons, with per capita grain production of 297 kilograms and per capita net income of 1,304 yuan.

Muhe Township is situated in the central-western part of Zhangchuan County, Gansu Province, with an average elevation of 1,650 meters, an average annual rainfall of 55 millimeters, an average annual temperature of 3°C, and a frost-free period of 156 days per year. The year-end arable land area is 2.059 million mu, and the administrative area of the township covers 382... More detailed information about Muhe Township++