Site of Weijiawopu

Site of Weijiawopu

The Weijiawopu site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Weijiawopu site is located on a terrace about 2 kilometers northeast of Weijiawopu Village, Wenzhong Town, Hongshan District, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia. The site was first discovered in May 2008 during the third national cultural relics survey. From October to November 2008, the Inner Mongolia Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute carried out field measurements and surveys, preliminarily confirming that the total area of the site is about 93,000 square meters. It is a well-preserved and large-scale settlement site from the early to middle periods of the Hongshan Culture.

Between 2009 and 2011, a joint archaeological team composed of the Inner Mongolia Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute and the Frontier Archaeology Research Center of Jilin University conducted three excavations at the site, uncovering a total area of approximately 13,300 square meters. They identified 103 house foundations, 201 ash pits, 4 ash ditches, 12 hearths, and other remains, as well as a large number of artifacts including pottery, stone tools, animal bones, and shell tools.

In July 2009, the joint archaeological team conducted the first excavation at the site, uncovering an area of about 5,000 square meters. They discovered 28 house foundations, 8 ash pits, 3 hearths, 2 tombs, and 1 ash ditch. The house foundations were all semi-subterranean with rounded corners and rectangular shapes, varying in area from 8 to 60 square meters. Doorways were located on the southern side, most had raw earth living surfaces, and ladle-shaped hearths were mostly situated in the central parts of the houses. The ash pits were generally round and cylindrical, though some were oval.

From July to October 2010, the joint archaeological team conducted the second excavation at the site. The excavation area was located in the eastern part of the site. This excavation covered an area of 4,117 square meters. A total of 36 house foundations, 62 ash pits, 2 ash ditches, and 4 hearths from the Hongshan Culture period were discovered.

The house foundations were all pit or semi-pit structures. The floor plans were diverse, including rounded squares, trapezoids, and parallelograms, with areas ranging from 10 to over 50 square meters. Wall remnants ranged in height from about 60 centimeters down to just a few centimeters. The cross-sections were mostly straight-walled. The ash pits had various opening shapes, including round, oval, rounded square, and irregular forms. The pit structures included straight-walled cylinders, inverted trapezoids, bag-like shapes, and pot-bottom shapes. The pit bottoms featured flat bases and some had second-tier platforms. Both ash ditches were located on the eastern side of the site, encircling other remains.

A rich variety of artifacts were unearthed at the site, primarily pottery, which can be divided into two main categories based on use: pottery vessels and pottery objects. Pottery vessels could be classified into two types: sandy clay and fine clay, with sandy clay pottery being more numerous, followed by fine clay. The most common decorative patterns were "Z"-shaped incised lines, followed by carved, stamped, and pressed patterns, along with a small number of woven, string, and painted pottery designs. Painted pottery was mostly red, featuring arc-shaped bands, zigzag lines, geometric grid patterns, and triangles. Black-painted pottery was less common, with patterns such as arc-edged triangles and parallel zigzag lines. Most pottery items had flat bottoms, along with a small number of round-bottomed and footed vessels. Types of pottery included cylindrical jars, slanted-mouth vessels, cauldrons, double-handled jars, urns, bulging jars, basins, bowls, cups, tripods, vessel lids, and cups. Pottery objects included spinning whorls and pottery balls.

A certain number of stone tools and a small number of bone and horn artifacts were also unearthed at the site. Stone tools mainly included polished, chipped, and microlithic tools, such as stone grinding plates, stone grinding rods, stone axes, stone adzes, perforated stone knives, stone spades, stone anvils, whetstones, stone arrowheads, stone ornaments, stone blades, scrapers, and choppers.

From July to October 2011, the joint archaeological team conducted the third excavation at the site. The excavation area for this year was located in the northeastern part of the entire Weijiawopu site, adjacent to the 2010 excavation area to the north, with the eastern and southern parts remaining unexcavated. The total excavation area for 2011 was 4,204 square meters. A total of 39 house foundations, 56 ash pits, 5 hearths, 2 ash ditches, and a large number of pottery, stone, shell, and animal bone artifacts were confirmed.

The house foundations were all semi-subterranean. Based on the identifiable floor plans, most were square or rounded square in shape, with a few slightly trapezoidal. Walls were either straight or slightly sloped, and the ground surfaces were generally flat or slightly uneven. Most house foundations had interconnected hearth pits and flues located in the central area, with doorways aligned mostly in the direction of the flues. The doorways were mostly sloped, with occasional flat steps.

The openings of the ash pits were mostly round, oval, or nearly round, with a few irregular shapes. The pit walls were mostly straight or slightly sloped, with a few pit pits being bag-shaped. The pit bottoms were mostly flat, with some slightly sloped or uneven. Artifacts found in the ash pits included pottery, stone tools, shell fragments, and animal bones.

The hearths were consistent in structure and size with those found within the house foundations, and are believed to be remnants left after the complete destruction of the houses. Some hearths also had very sparse footprints nearby, further supporting this conclusion. Most hearths contained only scattered pottery shards, while a few had no artifacts at all.

The two ash ditches were located in the eastern (G3) and southwestern (G4) parts of the 2011 excavation area, running in a south-north and northwest-southeast orientation respectively. G3 was an extension of the 2010 excavation area, with a "V"-shaped cross-section. G4 was first identified in the 2011 excavation area, featuring a "U"-shaped cross-section.

The unearthed pottery can be divided into two main categories based on material: sandy clay pottery and fine clay pottery. In terms of quantity, sandy clay pottery was relatively more abundant, mainly consisting of black and gray sandy clay pottery, while fine clay pottery was less common. The decorative patterns on sandy clay pottery were predominantly "Z"-shaped incised lines, carved lines, and stamped patterns, along with some appliqué, pressed patterns, and a few with ?-shaped patterns at the base. Some sandy clay pottery rims or bodies were also adorned with small buttons or bumps. Types of sandy clay pottery included cylindrical jars, slanted-mouth vessels, cauldrons, and cups, with cylindrical jars being the most numerous.

Wenzhong Town: " I. Historical Evolution of Wenzhong Town

In September 1945, Chifeng County was divided into seven districts, with the first district including the former Sanyanjing Township, Liutiaogou Township, Daliangoumen Township, and Harabutu Township of Yuanbaoshan District. In October 1946, after Chifeng County was split into Chixi County and Chifeng County, Chifeng County was divided into seven districts, with the first district including the former Sanyanjing Township, Liutiaogou Township, Daliangoumen Township, and Harabutu Township of Yuanbaoshan District. In October 1948, after the merger of Chixi and Chifeng counties, Chifeng County was divided into 11 districts, with the first district including the former Sanyanjing Township, Liutiaogou Township, Daliangoumen Township... Detailed information on Wenzhong Town++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units