Hemudu site ushers in new era of cultural preservation

An immersive Hemudu-culture-themed trip was held at the ancient Hemudu site in Yuyao city, Ningbo, on July 12, marking a step forward in the construction of the Hemudu National Archaeological Site Park.

In 1973, archaeologists made a groundbreaking discovery in Hemudu town, uncovering the rich remnants of this prehistoric civilization. The late 1980s witnessed the first wave of infrastructure development in the Ningbo-Shaoxing region, coinciding with a period of intensified site exploration and deepened research into the Hemudu culture. In 1993, the Hemudu Site Museum was completed, followed by the opening of the Hemudu site excavation display area in 1999.

Subsequently, sites like Tianluoshan and Fujiashan sites were excavated, providing valuable evidence for the cultural significance of Hemudu. In 2013, the emergence of the Jingtoushan site, the deepest and oldest coastal shell midden site in China, pushed back the history of human activity in the Ningbo region to about 8,000 years ago.

As archaeological endeavors continue to expand, the map of the Hemudu culture has grown substantially.

"These achievements signify a shift towards a holistic and systematic 'Great Hemudu' era in archaeological excavation, protection, and research, underpinning our confidence and resolve in establishing the Hemudu National Archaeological Site Park," said Sun Guoping, director of the prehistoric archaeology department at the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, who led excavations at Tianluoshan and Jingtoushan.

Upon completion, the park will encompass four distinct zones: the Hemudu Area, recreating the rice farming society of southeast China 6,000-7,000 years ago; the Tianluoshan Area, showcasing a mid-Neolithic coastal settlement and the earliest rice-and-fish paradise in the south; the Zishan Area, preserving the original natural environment and settlement layout; and the Jingtoushan Area, elucidating the origins of China's coastal marine culture and the intersection of coastal and inland cultures.

The first phase to be initiated is the Hemudu National Archaeological Site Park pilot area project, located in the Hemudu site area. The pilot area integrates cultural relic protection, archaeological display, research and education, tourism services, and green ecology on approximately 45.36 hectares of land, with a total estimated investment of 317 million yuan ($43 million). It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

"Through our short-term, medium-term, and long-term planning, the completion of the Hemudu National Archaeological Site Park will not only enable further exploration of Hemudu culture in academic aspects but also help turn Zhejiang into a high-level cultural province and Ningbo into a major marine center," Sun added.