Hongshan Relics Cluster

Hongshan Relics Cluster

The Hongshan Relics Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Hongshan Relics Cluster is located at the northern foot of Hongshan Mountain, about 3 kilometers northeast of Chifeng City in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It represents an important Neolithic site in northern China, dating back approximately 5,000 years. The "Hongshan Culture" derives its name from this site. It includes ancient settlement ruins and burial sites. Artifacts unearthed include pottery, stone tools, and bone implements from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. Most notably, the finely made painted pottery and stone spades are of great importance, holding significant value in the study of the agricultural development history of northern China.

In recent years, the First Archaeological Team of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Inner Mongolia, together with the Cultural Bureau of Hongshan District and the District Cultural Relics Management Office, have jointly conducted archaeological surveys of the prehistoric Hongshan Relics Cluster. In addition to on-site investigations of the preservation status of the first and second sites of Hongshanhou, excavated by the Japanese in 1935, they newly discovered a mid-period Hongshan Culture settlement site, a Xiajiadian Lower Culture sacrificial site, a small-scale fortified settlement, and a Xiajiadian Upper Culture cemetery. These discoveries provide a scientific basis for a comprehensive understanding of the important academic value of the Hongshan prehistoric relics cluster.

The newly discovered Hongshan Culture settlement site is located on the first terrace on the east bank of the Yingjin River (designated as Site No. 3). The terrain is flat, currently used as farmland, with a total area of about 50,000 square meters. After spring plowing, irregularly circular ash soil rings are clearly visible on the surface—over 20 in total, with the largest having a diameter of about 7 meters, all arranged in rows. Based on past excavation experience, each ash ring is believed to represent a semi-subterranean house, with the visible ash actually accumulated debris from inside the dwellings. Surface collections included red clay, gray clay, and grayish-brown sandy clay pottery fragments of the Hongshan Culture, identifiable vessel types including bowls, jars, and urns. Typical decorative patterns consist of neatly impressed zigzag lines and sets of incised lines. The pottery is polished, with distinct usage marks on both sides and the front blade edge, measuring 26 cm in length and 14 cm in width. Judging by the collected pottery fragments and stone artifacts, the settlement dates roughly to the same period as the western Shuiquan and Zhizhushan Hongshan Culture remains found at Hongshanhou Site No. 1, placing it in the middle period of Hongshan Culture, approximately 6,000–5,500 years ago.

The newly discovered Xiajiadian Lower Culture sacrificial site is located on the hilltop southwest of the Armed Forces Department building in Hongshan District (designated as Site No. 5), covering a total area of about 20,000 square meters. The terrain slopes from east to west. The site is surrounded by a stone wall built using the dry-laid stone stacking method, with walls following the contour of the hill. Surface finds mainly include gray and grayish-brown sandy clay pottery fragments, identifiable vessel types such as open-mouthed folded-rim jars, small-necked bulging jars, and pointed-spindle-footed li tripods, along with a small number of chipped stone tools. Judging from the structure of the remains and the collected pottery samples, this site is a typical Xiajiadian Lower Culture sacrificial site, dating back about 4,000–3,500 years.

The newly discovered Xiajiadian Lower Culture small fortified settlement is located on the gentle slope southwest of Aobao Mountain in the southern part of Chifeng City (designated as Site No. 6). The terrain slopes gently from east to west. The settlement is elevated about 2–5 meters above the surrounding ground, with an approximately square-round layout and a total area of about 4,500 square meters. The walls were built with natural stones, with the eastern wall relatively straight, while the northern, western, and southern walls slightly curve outward. The wall width is 1.5–2 meters. The gate is located at the southeast corner, about 2 meters wide. The interior ground slopes slightly from northeast to southwest. From the cross-section of a natural hollow in the center, there is a relatively pure accumulation of gray soil. Surface collections include gray and grayish-brown sandy clay pottery fragments, identifiable vessel types such as jars and urns, with relatively neat cord or concave string impressions on the surface. Three relatively intact chipped sub-rectangular stone spades were also collected. Based on the collected pottery and stone artifacts and the condition of the gray soil accumulation within the settlement, this is a typical small residential fortified settlement of the Xiajiadian Lower Culture, dating back about 4,000–3,500 years.

The newly discovered Xiajiadian Upper Culture cemetery is located on the hillside southwest of Site No. 3 (designated as Site No. 4). The terrain slopes from southwest to northeast and is covered with sea buckthorn bushes. On the surface, more than 10 small stone coffin tombs of the Xiajiadian Upper Culture are exposed, all constructed with natural stones in a rectangular shape, about 2 meters long and 1 meter wide.

In May 2006, the Hongshan Relics Cluster was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units as a prehistoric site from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units