Niulandong Site

Niulandong Site

The Niulandong Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

The Niulandong Site is located at the southern foot of Shishi Mountain in Yunling Town, Yingde City. It dates back to the late Paleolithic Age to the early Neolithic Age. Discovered in 1983, the site covers a total area of about 400 square meters. Excavations were carried out between 1996 and 1998, uncovering over 50 square meters. The cave has an L-shaped plan and developed in a corridor-like fashion. The cultural deposits contain a large number of snail shells and animal bones. All stone tools were made from pebbles, with a small number of flake tools. The cultural content can be divided into three phases: The first phase belongs to the late Paleolithic Age, where only chipped stone tools and bone tools were found. The animal assemblage includes a small number of extinct species, with few snail shells present. Carbon-14 dating of animal bone samples indicates an age range of 10,780 to 12,410 years ago. The second phase is the Mesolithic Age, characterized by a higher number of chipped stone tools that are slightly more regular in shape compared to the previous phase. Perforated stone tools appear, along with bone and shell tools. All animals belong to extant species, and the deposits contain a large number of snail shells. Carbon-14 dating of animal bone samples suggests an age range of 9,320 to 11,220 years ago; however, carbon-14 dating of snail shell samples yields an age of 18,105 years ago, which seems excessively early. The third phase is the early Neolithic Age, where chipped stone tools remain predominant, but ground-edge stone tools have emerged, and primitive pottery begins to be used. Bone and shell tools are also present. This phase can be further divided into two sub-phases: the earlier sub-phase shows carbon-14 dates of 7,910 to 8,940 years ago for animal bones, while snail shells date to 14,560 to 17,525 years ago—clearly too early. The later sub-phase yields carbon-14 dates of 7,460 years ago for animal bones, while snail shells date to 9,310 to 11,870 years ago, also appearing too early. Rice phytoliths, including double-peaked and fan-shaped types belonging to neither indica nor japonica rice, were discovered in both the second and third phases. This marks the earliest evidence of rice cultivation in the Lingnan region, dating back to around 10,000 years ago. The site spans a considerable time range and serves as an important reference for studying the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic cultures in South China. A site exhibition hall was built next to the site in 1999.

In 1998, the People's Government of Yingde City designated it as a cultural heritage site. On July 17, 2002, it was included in the fourth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites