Wangyoufang Site

　　The Wangyoufang Site is situated approximately 400 meters north of Wangyoufang Village, Zancheng Town, in the southwestern part of Yongcheng City, Shangqiu, Henan Province. It lies to the east of the Huihe River, with the surrounding land being flat and part of the old Yellow River floodplain alluvial zone.

　　The site is slightly elevated in an arc shape above the ground, covering an area of 10,000 square meters. The cultural layer is generally over 3 meters thick. Aside from a few areas with thinner disturbed soil layers or Han Dynasty strata, most of the site consists of late Longshan Culture remnants beneath the topsoil. Excavations conducted in 1977 by the Luoyang Archaeological Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences uncovered 11 house foundations, 25 ash pits, 14 tombs, and a large number of pottery, stone, bone, shell, and horn artifacts from the late Longshan period.

　　These excavations indicate that human ancestors were living on this land more than 4,000 years ago and had developed agriculture, fishing, hunting, and handicrafts. These findings are important materials for studying China’s primitive culture and the Xia Dynasty culture.

　　In May 2006, the Wangyoufang Site was designated as part of the sixth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.