Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site

Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site

The Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site is located at the border of Lingyuan City and Jianping County in Liaoning Province. It derives its name from the red hills (hong shan) that rise like a coiling dragon across the mountain ridges. National Highway 101 and the Jin-Cheng Railway run through the area. The entire site is nestled within vast pine forests that remain green all year round, offering fresh air and an elegant environment, while still retaining its primitive character. The site is situated on a series of mountain ridges stretching over 10 kilometers across the mountainous region of western Liaoning. Within an area of 50 square kilometers, a chain of undulating hills features altars, a Goddess Temple, and stone mound tombs arranged in an orderly fashion, forming a grand religious ceremonial center. The stone mound tombs, laid out in a neat pattern, are divided into several hierarchical levels centered around large tombs, with jade artifacts as the only burial objects. The main types of jade ornaments include realistic yet mythologized animal figures such as pig-dragon, bear-dragon, phoenix, and turtle, as well as horseshoe-shaped jade tubes that run from top to bottom, and cloud-patterned jade pendants whose designs subtly shift with the light. These, along with rows of painted pottery cylinder vessels erected atop the stone mounds, served as tools for the deceased to communicate with the divine.

These stone mound tombs, situated atop mountain peaks and built in layered tiers, resemble the imperial mausoleums of later dynasties, vividly reflecting the supreme status of the individuals buried in the central tombs. They were both religious leaders and figures of "royal" authority. The Goddess Temple, located at the top of the main ridge, enshrines a group of goddess statues surrounding the central deity. These statues are generally life-sized, with the central figure featuring an unusually large nose and ears—three times the size of a human’s. Modeled after real people in appropriate proportions and full of expression, these statues have led experts to suggest that “she is the mother goddess of the Hongshan people, and thus the common ancestor of the Chinese nation.” Clearly, a sacred ancestral site of such scale and complexity could not belong to a single tribe or ethnic group, but must have been shared by an entire cultural community. Niuheliang, situated at the central hub of the Hongshan Culture distribution area with access in all directions, served as a high-level settlement center for this culture. It is entirely fitting to regard it as a symbol of China’s 5,000-year-old civilization.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Liaoning Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units