Gedi Mountain Site

Gedi Mountain Site

The Gedi Mountain Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Gedi Mountain Site is located on the eastern edge of the Gedi Mountain Basin, west of Jiangxi Village, Jiangding Township, Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The site exhibits two notable cultural features: first, the coexistence of large flaked stone tools and microliths, which underwent morphological transformation over a relatively short period; second, the various stone tools unearthed at the site demonstrate a relatively mature level of craftsmanship.

In 1990, Wang Huimin, an archaeologist from Ningxia, discovered the Paleolithic Gedi Mountain Site in the Helan Mountain area. During the survey, a large number of stone artifacts were found. From 1993 to 1997, a Sino-American joint archaeological team conducted several field investigations at the Gedi Mountain Site, uncovering thousands of stone artifacts and animal fossils. Experts from fields such as archaeology, geology, and environmental science concluded through comprehensive research that the site dates back approximately 12,000 to 10,000 years. It is considered a highly valuable location for studying the transition of human culture and natural environmental changes from the Pleistocene to the Holocene. The Gedi Mountain Site has well-defined stratigraphy, a wide variety of artifacts, stable forms, and mature manufacturing techniques. The stone tools found here are classified as "true microliths."

In May 2006, the Gedi Mountain Site was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units