Caiyuan Neolithic Cultural Site

　　The Caiyuan Neolithic Cultural Site is situated on the slopes of hills to the west, south, and east of Caiyuan Natural Village in Xi’an Town, Haiyuan County, covering an area of 41,250 square meters. The settlement lies at the foot of the South Huashan Mountain, bordered by Lingguang Temple to the south and Yehupu Village in Haicheng Town to the east.

　　 In 1984, during a comprehensive cultural relics survey across Ningxia, the Caiyuan Neolithic Cultural Site was discovered. In May 1985, the Ningxia Institute of Archaeology conducted trial excavations on parts of the site. In the autumn, systematic and scientific excavations of the site and tombs were carried out. From 1986 to the end of 1988, the National Museum of Chinese History, the Department of Archaeology at Peking University, and the Ningxia Institute of Archaeology jointly conducted archaeological excavations. Over the course of four years of continuous excavation work, a total of 297 test pits were laid out, covering an exposed area of 6,921 square meters. A total of 138 tombs, 15 house foundations, 65 storage pits and ash pits, one kiln site, and one ash trench were cleared. More than 5,000 intact or identifiable artifacts were unearthed, mainly including stone, pottery, bone, and jade production tools, household utensils, and other ornaments. The cultural findings reveal that the main body of the Qijia Culture originated from the “Caiyuan remains,” forming an independent and indigenous ancient culture. This culture possesses three defining elements: a defined time period, a specific spatial range, and a unique collection of material artifacts. The Caiyuan Site dates back 5,000 years and served as a living, breeding, and productive site for ancient humans, as well as a burial ground, situated during the transitional period from matrilineal to patrilineal clans. Across hundreds of miles in the mountainous regions of southern Ningxia and eastern Gansu, despite the barrier of the Liupan Mountains, the ancestors along the basins of the Qingshui River, Hulu River, and Jing River maintained frequent exchanges and jointly created a distinctive regional primitive culture. The Caiyuan Site is a typical representation of this culture.

　　 The Caiyuan Neolithic Cultural Site is now a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.