Nestled in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, the Liangzhu National Archaeological Site Park withstands the test of time and the harsh summer heat. It attracts eager visitors, keen to delve into the historical narratives of an ancient urban civilization that once thrived in the Yangtze River Basin. Despite temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius, curiosity fuels their wait in anticipation of a rendezvous with the remnants of a civilization dating back millennia.
Archaeologists such as Chen Minghui, director of the Liangzhu Workstation at the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, are no strangers to extreme weather. For them, rain and snow pose more significant challenges, potentially delaying their exploration and research processes.
Chen, a 35-year-old archaeologist, dons multiple hats as he juggles between research responsibilities in Liangzhu and Lishui, and reviewing English-version books about the Liangzhu civilization, set to hit the shelves soon. His mission is clear, “If we want to inherit Chinese culture well, we must share our research results with the world, letting people from all over the world learn from and understand China’s Liangzhu civilization,” he told the Global Times.
The Liangzhu National Archaeological Site Park, dating back to 3,300-2,300 BC, reveals an early state with a unified belief system predicated on rice cultivation during the Late Neolithic period in China. This ancient site provides robust evidence that Chinese civilization began 5,000 years ago, a millennium earlier than prior estimates.
The site consists of four areas – the Yaoshan Site, the High-dam at the Mouth of the Valley, the Low-dam on the Plain, and the City Site. Collectively, these ruins epitomize an early urban civilization, characterized by their earthen monuments, urban planning, water conservation systems, and a social hierarchy evidenced by differentiated burials in cemeteries.
Chen’s 11 years of dedication to Liangzhu have fortified his conviction that Liangzhu’s 5,000-year history is uncontestable. Its civilization exhibited all essential elements of an advanced society, from an original writing system and refined handicrafts to articles used in rituals, such as jade artifacts symbolizing a belief system.
The importance of the Liangzhu site extends beyond China, attracting global attention from renowned archaeologists. British archaeologist Colin Renfrew deemed the site’s jade artifacts, irrigation methods, and dam constructions as evidence of a “highly organized society.” This newfound understanding effectively reset the commencement of Chinese civilization by 1,000 years, predating the widely recognized Shang Dynasty.
As a testament to the site’s global significance, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural site by the World Heritage Committee in 2019. However, a pressing need for English materials relating to Liangzhu’s research persists within global archaeology circles. Addressing this need, Chen and his colleagues are working on four distinct books, hoping to introduce the Liangzhu civilization to a broader audience and potentially invite further global collaborations.
Chen’s sense of mission in transforming Liangzhu into a world-class archaeology base is fueled by the city’s significant contribution to global archaeology. His hard work, along with his growing team of over 30 professionals, underscores the importance of Liangzhu in the context of other ancient civilizations, like Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, ancient Greece, India, and the Mayan civilization.
As the team continues to unlock the mysteries of the Liangzhu civilization, they increasingly turn towards high technology archaeology, which reveals intricate cultural backgrounds and wisdom behind the preserved cultural relics. The Liangzhu archaeological site represents not only a momentous chapter of China’s past but also a living testament to human civilization’s timeless journey.
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