West Slope Ruins Du Jie photo
West Slope Ruins F105 Site Description Board Du Jie Photo
Thin mist weather, light mountains and rivers. Walk through the streets of Lingbaoyang Pingzhen District, through the fields with lush crops and fruitful apple orchards, and walk up to the Yellow Emperor Zhudingyuan. The sun is hidden in the cascading clouds, the Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor Temple falls generously, and the reckless land of the Central Plains is at the nearest feet. Looking south, Jingshan mountain is in sight. Standing facing west, looking through the grass and trees under the slope, the northeast-southwest step landform, the south high and north low, is the dotted Beiyangping ruins group, and the west slope ruins are the secondary settlements within the Beiyangping ruins group. Walking in the magical land of western Henan, casually grabbing a handful of dirt, you can grasp the traces of history and smell the breath of ancient culture.
One
The western Henan region is the core area of Yangshao culture and one of the key areas for the implementation of the national "Chinese Civilization Source Exploration Project". Beiyangping ruins group is located in Lingbao City Yangping Town Zhudingyuan and its surroundings, covering an area of more than 700,000 square meters, archaeological exploration found a large number of house sites, trenches, pottery kilns, tombs, etc., in the archaeological community has been known as "ten miles long street". The dense distribution of these sites, the richness of the cultural relics they contain, and the long duration of their existence can be described as rare at home and abroad.
In 2001, more than 50 Yangshao cultural sites, such as the Xipo site and the Beiyangping site, were announced as national key cultural relics protection units under the name of "Beiyangping Ruins Group" and were listed in the special project for the protection of 100 major national sites during the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" period. In 2005, the Xipo site was listed as one of the six preferred sites of the "Chinese Civilization Source Exploration Project". In 2006, the archaeological excavation of a large Neolithic cemetery on the western slope was rated as one of the "Top Ten Archaeological New Discoveries in China". The batch of archaeological achievements emerging here has attracted more and more attention from the archaeological community at home and abroad.
The Yellow River is the mother river of the Chinese nation, and its banks have given birth to brilliant ancient civilizations. In the ancient period, the yellow areas along the western Henan and southern Jin dynasties, the land was fertile, the ravines were longitudinal, the climate was humid, the rivers were networked, and the lakes, swamps, and water puddles were dotted with dots, inhabiting and reproducing a large number of ancient humans, creating a splendid Yangshao culture. If the Yellow Belt along the Yushan- And Jin Dynasties is compared to a shining pearl of human civilization during the Yangshao culture period, the Xipo site just happens to be at the core of this pearl.
There is the Kwafu River in the east, the Linghu River in the west, the West Slope Ruins are located in Xipo Village, Yangping Town, Lingbao City, located in the south of the Yellow Emperor Zhudingyuan, about 8,000 meters north of the Yellow River, about 4,000 meters from the north slope of the Qinling Mountains in the south, the terrain is high in the southwest and low in the northeast, the altitude is 456 meters to 475 meters, and most of the cliffs are around, which is the larger one in the Beiyangping ruins group, and the existing area is 400,000 square meters.
Ascend to the far horizon, the mountain wind is mighty. "Dingyuan Yanxia" is one of the famous scenes of the old lingbao, the fireworks of history shine on future generations, history is old, and the smoke of day and night is always new.
In February 2008, the Xipo Site Archaeological Project was selected as one of the "Ten Cultural Events of Henan Province". Since 2000, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Henan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Sanmenxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other units have jointly formed a "joint archaeological team" to carry out ten large-scale archaeological excavations of the Beiyangping site group centered on the Xipo site, and achieved fruitful results, basically clarifying the overall settlement layout of the Xipo site, and providing valuable new information for understanding the cultural appearance, burial customs, and social structure of the central settlement in the middle of Yangshao culture. It is of great significance for exploring the characteristics, processes, models and motives of the origin of civilization in the Central Plains.
In September 2010, the Henan Provincial Government announced the implementation of the "Beiyangping Ruins Group • West Slope Ruins Protection Plan". In October 2010, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage reviewed and approved the "Design Plan for the Rescue Protection of the Beiyangping Ruins Group and The West Slope Site", which was promulgated and implemented by the Henan Provincial Government in November of the same year.
In October 2021, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Yangshao culture and the birth of modern Chinese archaeology, nearly 200 experts and scholars attending the 3rd China Archaeological Conference came here to observe the protective display project of the Xipo site, personally experience the rich history and culture and explore the origin of Chinese civilization in the real scene. This is of extraordinary significance for the establishment of the core position of Yangshao culture in the Sanmenxia area and the search for the roots of the Yellow River culture and the soul of civilization.
The dawn of Chinese civilization first bloomed here, which is not a fleeting glimpse of civilization, but a scene of enduring brilliant fireworks.
Two
Rammed earthen walls and cobblestone roads are not publicized, and behind an orchard is the site of a large house foundation in the western slope, and the archaeological excavation backfill site is hidden in the field.
The Site of Xipo stands out among the many sites of Zhudingyuan and is extraordinary. Many large-scale archaeological excavations here have achieved significant results, especially the discovery of the 516 square meters of extra-large house foundation site f105, which is the largest single building area of the Neolithic era, and is currently the earliest building found in China to bring back the corridor, known as the "first palace of China".
The process of ancient Chinese civilization, "a million years of roots, ten thousand years of beginning, five thousand years of civilization, three thousand years of empire." Xipo people are in the Miaodigou culture period of the transition from Yangshao culture to Longshan culture, and it is also a transition period for human society from matrilineal society to patrilineal society. In the center of the Ruins of the Western Slope, dozens of extra-large houses and palace ruins are arranged in an orderly manner, and the magnificent momentum highlights its unparalleled dominance and central role.
In the second archaeological excavation of the Xipo site, 3 ancient house foundations were found, which were generally large and similar in shape, with a regular layout structure and a complex construction process, showing a high level of construction at that time.
In the winter of 2001, in the third archaeological excavation of the Xipo site, the discovery of the "First Palace of China" suddenly stunned the archaeologists. The 516-square-meter palace, of which the indoor net area of 204 square meters, the overall slightly rectangular, extremely complex structure, with a log cloister, with four large columns, the ground is hardened by barbecue treatment, built with a circular fire pit, slope doorway, surrounded by dozens of columns with a diameter of 40 cm to 60 cm. The outer circle is surrounded by a cloister, which is presented as a magnificent two-storey building. Experts believe that this is a public activity center of the primitive tribes surrounding the Yangshao period, a place of activity for tribal chiefs to discuss or join forces, and its engineering is huge and the process is complex, which is of landmark significance in the history of Chinese architecture.
To build such a grand project, such a superb architectural skill, in the Neolithic Age, the ancestors used the most primitive and rudimentary stone tools to cut, process, carry, and erect these bulky logs, requiring strict organization, a meticulous social division of labor and a skilled team of craftsmen. It is not difficult to speculate on what kind of social cohesion and extraordinary social coordination this requires.
Another excavation of that year was even more unexpected. A completely hardened pot bottom-shaped reservoir with a bottom area of more than 300 square meters was found, with a hardened layer of about 3 mm to 5 mm thick and very hard. After on-site water leakage test, it can fully meet the anti-seepage requirements of modern cement. Experts deduce that this is a large water storage tank for the ancestors to store and control water, and it is the earliest water conservancy facility found in China so far. This shows that water conservancy technology has begun to be applied to the primitive agriculture of the Xipo people.
With the continuous advancement of excavation work, the People of Xipo brought us shocks and surprises one after another: 240 square meters of extra-large housing sites, public welfare facilities areas, residential areas, workshop areas, tomb groups, large artificial trenches, as well as a large number of stone tools, bone tools, pottery, jade, woven materials and complete sets of living utensils.
The most eye-catching ones are the fragments of a large vat with a diameter of 94 cm, the fragments of a large black pottery basin with a diameter of 90 cm, the fragments of a large cylinder with a diameter of 50 cm, the ultra-thin large clay pottery small-mouth pointed bottom bottle, the ceramic sculpture painted human head, especially similar text symbols found on the edge of the two faience pots, which are very rare in similar sites and have high historical and archaeological value. In particular, a large number of jade objects dominated by cymbals and pottery of different shapes and unique shapes have been found, which is very rare in prehistoric archaeological excavations across the country. For the first time, relics such as plant stems and leaves, linen mark marks and other relics have been found in tombs, which are also unique among tombs excavated in the same period.
On this piece of soil, I can't think of how many ancients left their figures and footprints, leaving behind the cultural genetic code of the beginning of the Chinese nation. Through the study of archaeological excavation results, today people can feel the life scene of the ancestors in the Yangshao period:
At that time, the western slope was an ancient city with a strict structure and clear division, the east and west sides were naturally cut by the river, and two wide and deep isolation trenches were dug on the north and south sides of the center of the site, forming a barrier against the entry of beasts of prey and the invasion of foreign tribes. From the drilling drawings, it is clear that its layout is deliberately planned, and the central area is concentrated with many large public building facilities, which are combined into a ceremonial architectural group. It is surrounded by residential areas, and on the south side is the burial area and the pottery workshop area.
History opens a small incision, surging with fresh breath. Through these historical relics that have been frozen forever, the primitive urban concept of the Xipo people and the operation mode of running the city have been used by modern people to this day, and they have to clap their hands.
Three
After large-scale archaeological excavations, on the basis of fruitful results, many archaeological experts and scholars have formed a broad consensus.
The Beiyangping Ruins Group was the political, economic and cultural center of the Central Plains during the Yangshao period. The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences wrote in the archaeological excavation report: "The Beiyangping site group was the central settlement of the Central Plains during the Yangshao period, and also the political, economic and cultural center of the society at that time. Its influence crosses the Great Wall in the north and reaches the Yangtze River in the south, playing a very important role in the historical stage of prehistoric China, with strong radiation and influence. ”
The Xipo site is an excellent entry point for the "Chinese Civilization Exploration Project". In the summer of 2004, six sites, including the Xipo site, were selected as the central sites for the first phase of the "Chinese Civilization Exploration Project" to focus on excavation and research. In the continuous archaeological excavation and investigation research, experts have found a large number of relics of the Xia and Shang dynasties in the other five sites, which are dating successively, roughly covering the historical information from 2500 BC to 1500 BC, far from the historical source of Chinese civilization of 5000 years. The only site in the Beiyangping ruins group, which belongs to the middle and late Yangshao culture, is about 5500 to 4500 years old, and is the only site that can be connected with the source of Chinese civilization, and it is also the earliest site that comprehensively shows many factors such as social complexity, class, country and the budding of human civilization, and is an important source of the origin of Chinese civilization, which has extraordinary historical research value for studying the exact date of the origin of Chinese civilization.
In the concept of building an "early China" civilization corridor in Sanmenxia City, the "Ten Mile Long Street" Beiyangping Ruins Group and the West Slope Ruins are an important part of them. In view of the importance of the Xipo site, with the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the "Xipo National Prehistoric Site Park" covering an area of 600,000 square meters will be settled in Yangping Town, Lingbao City, Henan Province. In accordance with the planning requirements, the site body protection and drilling and excavation projects were launched here, the display of the large house foundation of the West Slope site was implemented, and the Beiyangping Site Museum and Site Park was built to create a relatively complete protection and display system.
The newly completed conservation display project of the West Slope Site, with its thatched roof and cloister Xuanang, consists of three parts: the f106 housing site ground marking display area, the f105 housing site simulation restoration display area, and the eastern green area, which is an important window for the comprehensive display of extra-large housing sites in the middle and late Neolithic period in China, and the perception of Yangshao culture and prehistoric civilization. "The restoration of the overall structure of this kind of house can be said to be basically the Miaodigou cultural big house I imagined." Archaeologists who came to visit commented.
History remains the same, and time continues to portray it.
Through the tunnel of more than 5,000 years of time, the ancient sun still shines on the casting plains where the ancestors once produced and lived and created human miracles, and the ancient splendor will continue to shine on the journey of the sons and daughters of China to achieve the great rejuvenation of the nation.
Conclusion
"Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of Yangshao Culture and the Birth of Modern Chinese Archaeology" series of reports" launched the last article today. In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Yangshao culture and the birth of modern Chinese archaeology, since August 31, this newspaper has successively published reports such as "Four Archaeological Excavations of Yangshao Village Ruins", "Chinese Backbone Culture Rooted in the Yellow Land", "Production, Life and Cultural Activities in the Yangshao Cultural Period", "Magnificent Miaodigou Art Tide" and other reports, showing the production, life and cultural activities of the Yangshao cultural period from different levels, fully excavating the historical value of Yangshao culture, and improving the awareness and participation of the majority of readers. Inherit the historical context, polish the cultural business card, and promote the high-quality development of the city's cultural industry.
【Source: Sanmenxia Daily】
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