Hohhot Dayao Site

Hohhot Dayao Site

The Hohhot Dayao Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Dayao cultural site was discovered in October 1973, when archaeologists unearthed 387 stone artifacts including stone cores, flakes, and axes, attracting the attention of many experts and scholars both domestically and internationally. Through further excavations and scientific research from 1976 to 1984, and with the appraisal of renowned Chinese archaeologists such as Jia Lanpo, Pei Wenzhong, and Lü Zun’e, it was confirmed to be an early Paleolithic site—a stone tool manufacturing workshop. This site is a rare and significant cultural relic from the Paleolithic era abroad and holds great scientific value.

The southern slope of Dayao Village is part of the Daqing Mountain range, a branch of the Yin Mountains that stretch across western Inner Mongolia. There are streams at the foot of the mountain, making it suitable for ancient human habitation. The mountain is rich in flint (commonly known as firestone), which ancient inhabitants used to craft various stone tools. They made stone tools on-site, and the used stone cores and pounding tools can still be found scattered around. Stone flakes, fragments, and unfinished semi-products are piled up in great quantities, and occasionally, used stone tools can also be found in underground strata. It is estimated that the ancient human settlement was located near the foothills of the nearby Daqing Mountain, but due to the immense passage of time and significant surface changes, it can no longer be located.

The discovery of the Dayao culture proves that primitive humans were active south of the Yin Mountains in the north, coexisting with the Peking Man at Zhoukoudian. The Dayao cultural site is currently unique in the world, notable for its vast area, abundant unearthed relics, and grand scale. This discovery provides new historical materials and solid evidence for studying the ancient economic and cultural development of the Hohhot region and China’s northern frontier, as well as for researching the origins of ethnic groups. In 1979, the Ministry of Culture of China named it the “Dayao Culture.”

First, visit the first attraction, the “Wordless Book.” It is located in a 100-meter-long man-made excavation in Sidao Gully on Rabbit Mountain, standing 15 meters high. It is a complete geological stratum profile with distinct soil layers. Though wordless, it vividly records the historical timeline of the Dayao culture—that is, the long period from the early Paleolithic era to the late Neolithic era, spanning from one million to five hundred thousand years ago, as well as the Earth’s tremendous geological changes over millions of years. It is an awe-inspiring “grand historical tome.” It is truly one of a kind. A Japanese visitor who came here was also deeply moved after seeing it. He said, “Japan also has a Wordless Book, but it only records events from two hundred thousand years ago.”

The second attraction is the “Polished Megalith.” This site is located not far northeast of the Wordless Book. Two massive rocks stand abruptly, seemingly connected and complementing each other. They are hard in texture and have very smooth surfaces. Experts and professors analyze that these rocks were formed by intense friction as they slid down the mountain during the Yanshan Movement. This site can also be called the “Flying Stone.” Its existence confirms the correctness of a series of theories on crustal movement proposed by Chinese Mongolian geologist Li Siguang.

At the late Paleolithic tool-making workshop, many typical stone flakes and cores were discovered, while fewer finished tools were found. The majority of the remains are semi-finished products and waste from tool production, reflecting the characteristics of a stone tool workshop site. The types of tools are simple and few, mainly including choppers, points, and scrapers. Among them, scrapers are the most numerous, especially the turtle-back scrapers, which are somewhat unique. Their backs are raised like a turtle’s shell, particularly thick, and are usually roughly processed to remove sharp edges. The side opposite the back is generally flat. Due to the thickness of the tool, the angle of the cutting edge becomes larger. The turtle-back scraper is a typical tool from this workshop and can be used for skinning animals, scraping meat, and processing leather.

The discovery of the Dayao site provides important physical materials for studying the production process and craftsmanship techniques of ancient Chinese stone tools. In January 1988, the Dayao site was designated as part of the third batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Extended Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units