Gaomiao Site

　　The Gaomiao Site is located in Yanli Village, Chatou Township, Hongjiang, Huaihua City, Hunan Province. It is a well-preserved Neolithic shell mound site on the first terrace of the Yuan River, covering an area of approximately 15,000 square meters. The cultural deposits are quite thick, with the deepest layer reaching over 5 meters from the surface. The site can be divided into lower and upper remains.

　　The lower remains date back to the middle and late periods of the Zaoshi Lower Layer culture (approximately 7,400 years ago). A considerable number of white pottery vessels such as cauldrons, jars, and bowls were unearthed. These artifacts feature unique shapes, with very few having attached handles. The decorations, especially the stamped phoenix bird patterns and zoomorphic masks made with punctate and incised techniques, are the most distinctive.

　　The upper remains correspond in age to the Daxi culture (approximately 6,500–5,300 years ago) and share certain connections with it. The decorations mainly consist of stamped and raised dot patterns. Pottery vessels such as cauldrons and jars still retain the traditional curved-neck style, leading scholars to name these respective strata as the "Lower Gaomiao Culture" and the "Upper Gaomiao Culture."

　　The cultural relics unearthed at the Gaomiao Site not only confirm the validity of the "Huan Shui cultural group" classification but also further demonstrate that after the advent of the Neolithic Age, the local stone-age culture not only retained its distinctive regional characteristics but also had a significant influence on the cultural exchanges in the Dongting Lake region and even parts of Lingnan. The Gaomiao Site is a representative cultural heritage site in the ancient history of Hongjiang City, boasting high historical and scientific value as well as unique artistic merit. In particular, the mysterious and artistic stamped phoenix bird patterns and fanged zoomorphic mask designs popular in the Lower Gaomiao Culture can rival the patterns found on Liangzhu jade artifacts and Shang-Zhou bronze ware, which may open up new avenues for the study of ancient civilizations in Hunan Province and beyond.

　　In May 2006, the Gaomiao Site was approved by the State Council as a part of the sixth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level as a Neolithic period site.