An exhibition commemorating 50 years of exploration of the Hemudu culture in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, opened at the National Museum of China in Beijing on November 7. The exhibition features 324 artifacts from Hemudu as well as nearby Tianluoshan, Tashan and Jingtoushan sites.
The items unearthed there include remains of rice kernels, ceramic fragments and pottery vessels. They provide evidence of a flourishing Neolithic culture while affirming the Yangtze River basin, like the Yellow River basin, as a cradle of Chinese civilization.
The Hemudu National Archaeological Site Park, currently under construction, will simulate rice farming in the lower reaches of the Yangtze 7,000 years ago.
(Text and photos by Wei Yao)
