Yuanshan Site in Taipei

Yuanshan Site in Taipei

The Yuanshan Site is located on the gentle slope west of Yuanshan in Zhongshan District, Taipei City, covering an area of approximately 2.7 hectares. It is one of the most precious prehistoric sites in Taiwan and a rare multi-cultural-layer site. According to international standards, the Neolithic human activity records discovered at the Yuanshan Site are collectively referred to as the Yuanshan Culture, which existed from around 4500 BC to 2000 BC.

The Yuanshan Site contains at least six prehistoric cultures and one historical culture, including Han culture, the Shisanhang Culture, the Botanical Garden Culture, the Yuanshan Culture, the Fine Corded Ware Culture, the Dabenkeng Culture, and the Pre-ceramic Culture. Following the internationally accepted practice of naming a site after the nearest modern village, it is called the “Yuanshan Site.” Subsequently, based on the principle of naming a culture after the first-discovered site, the first-discovered records of prehistoric human activity were named the “Yuanshan Culture.”

A wide variety of stone tools, jade artifacts, pottery, and drum-horn implements have been unearthed at the Yuanshan Site, all demonstrating advanced craftsmanship, which plays a crucial role in studying the culture of that era. On April 25, 1988, Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior declared the Yuanshan Site a First-Class National Historic Site and actively planned for the Yuanshan Historical Park. On May 1, 2006, the Council for Cultural Affairs under the Executive Yuan redesignated the site as a National Monument.

YuanshanSite

Reason to visit: One of Taiwan’s most precious prehistoric sites