An aerial view of the Huangchaodun site in Quzhou. [Photo/WeChat ID: quzhoufb]

Ten significant archaeological sites in East China's Zhejiang province were selected as province's new discoveries of 2024 on March 1, with the Huangchaodun site in Quzhou highlighted.

The Huangchaodun site, located in Lianhua town, Qujiang district, Quzhou, dates from the middle Shangshan culture period, about 9,300 years ago, to the Kuahuqiao culture period, around 8,000 years ago.

Discovered in 2021 by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the site has since undergone extensive excavations, yielding significant findings.

Detailed fieldwork has confirmed that the site consists of two terraces and a surrounding moat, covering a total area of about 55,000 square meters, with the moat extending 902 meters. This makes it the best-preserved Shangshan culture site to date.

Parts of pottery that come from the Huangchaodun site. [Photo/WeChat ID: quzhoufb]

Scientific archaeological methods have identified a 15,000-sq-m area of ancient rice paddies on the eastern side of the moat, dating back to the Shangshan-Kuahuqiao period. This provides concrete evidence of large-scale rice cultivation in the early Neolithic period.

The use of settlement archaeology has revealed ancient river channels, low-lying areas and water channels connecting these features to the moat – offering insights into ancient water management practices of humans.

The discovery of early rice field remains at Huangchaodun is crucial to understanding the origins of rice cultivation. Additionally, the site marks the westernmost point of Shangshan culture, offering new perspectives into its distribution and development.