Longgang Temple Paleolithic Site

　　   The Longgang Temple Paleolithic Site is situated in Liangshan Town, Nanzheng County, southern Shaanxi Province, facing the historic and cultural city of Hanzhong across the river. The site’s cultural layers encompass five components: Paleolithic culture, Neolithic culture, Han Dynasty tombs, temple architecture, and modern revolutionary sites.

　　   Paleolithic Culture: Since 1943, thousands of Paleolithic stone tools have been discovered here, including types such as choppers, stone balls, pointed tools, and scrapers.

　　   These artifacts were found alongside fossils of Quaternary mammals such as giant pandas, stegodonts, and antelopes. The Longgang Temple Paleolithic remains date back to the early Middle Pleistocene in geological terms, with an absolute age of over 1.2 million years (see People's Daily, February 10, 1992, page 4), predating the Lantian Ape-Man Site. It is currently the earliest Paleolithic culture discovered in Shaanxi.

　　   Neolithic Culture: From October 1983 to the end of 1984, the provincial archaeological institute partially excavated the site, clearing 430 graves and unearthing more than 3,000 artifacts, including human-faced pots, painted pottery jars, boat-shaped vases, animal-headed pointed-bottom bottles, and human-headed painted pottery jars. The excavation of this site has provided valuable data for studying the origins, periods, and development of China’s Neolithic Yangshao Culture, and also proves that humans at Longgang Temple cultivated leguminous plants as early as 7,500 years ago.

　　   Han Dynasty Tombs: Distributed 50 meters east of Longgang Temple, the provincial archaeological institute excavated four tombs, including one from the Western Han Wenjing period, one from the mid-Eastern Han period, and two from the late Eastern Han period. Over ninety precious artifacts were unearthed, such as bronze tripods, bronze swords, jade birds, gilded belt hooks, and pottery figurines.

　　   Temple Architecture: Historical records indicate that Longgang Temple was first built during the Liang Tianjian era (502–519 AD) of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. By the Tang and Song Dynasties, it had grown significantly in scale and became a renowned scenic spot for boat tours in Hanzhong. Currently, the site preserves three major courtyards of ancient temple buildings totaling 48 rooms, covering a total area of 11,685 square meters.

　　   Revolutionary Sites: In May 1931, underground Communist Party leaders in southern Shaanxi, including Liang Yitang and Jia Tuofu, presided over the First Congress of the Southern Shaanxi Special Committee here, marking a glorious chapter in the history of China’s revolutionary struggle.

　　   The Longgang Temple Paleolithic Site holds profound and extensive historical and cultural significance, enjoying considerable influence both nationally and internationally. In 1986, Professor Huang Weiwen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, after inspecting the site, remarked: “The Longgang Temple Paleolithic Site is one of Asia’s three major Paleolithic sites.” In 1988, American archaeologist Professor Agins, during his visit and examination of the site, commented, “From here, I see the roots of Chinese culture.”

　　   In 1992, the site was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the provincial government.