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Liangzhu Archaeological Site

	China (Asia and the Pacific)
Date of Submission:	28/03/2008
Criteria:	(i)(ii)(iii)
Category:	Cultural
Submited by:	State Administration of Cultural Heritage
State, Province or Region:	Hangzhou City, and Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Privince
Coordinates:	N30 22 36.5 - 30 26 17.2 E119 56 41 - 120 03 28
Ref.:	5330

Description

Liangzhu Site, located to the northwest of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, about 15 kilometres from the centre of the city, is a famous archaeological site dating from the late Neolithic Age. Liangzhu culture, named after the site, is one of the most important archaeological cultures in China. Dating back to 5,300 - 4,200 years ago, it is characterized by well developed plough-rice agriculture, professionalized handicraft reflected by exquisite jade ware, pottery, and lacquer ware, carved symbols like word, large artificial structures, and a pyramid-shaped social structure. It has been dubbed ‘the dawn of oriental civilization' in the academic circle, and the site is an important piece of evidence that the Chinese civilization has multiple origins.

The site lies in the contiguous region between the hilly country in the west of Zhejiang and the Hangjiahu Plain, embraced by the northern and southern branches of Tianmu Mountain. Liangzhugang River (also known as the ‘Small Canal') and the Dongtiaoxi River, one of the eight main rivers of Zhejiang traverse the site, forming the peculiar geological setting of two mountain branches embracing two rivers. In the area which is of the northern subtropical monsoon climate, main crops are rice and wheat while the main cash crops are Mao bamboo and tea.

The first excavation at the site took place in 1936. Since the 1980s, with a series of important discoveries, such as the cemetery of aristocrats at Fanshan Hill, altars and cemeteries at Yaoshan Hill and Huiguanshan Hill, remains of the foundations of large structures at Mojiaoshan Hill, large defensive structures at Tangshan Hill, and the site of a village at Bianjiashan Hill, Liangzhu site has attracted great attention of archaeologists and historians both at home and abroad. Archaeological research and excavation over the years indicate that the site is dense in distribution, large in scale, exquisite in layout, and covers a total area of 42 square kilometres. Altogether 135 heritage spots have been discovered, including cemeteries, altars, foundations, defensive works, remains of villages, and workshops. The layout resembles that of a big primitive yet well designed town, with a central settlement, a sub-central settlement, and a common settlement. A large number of exquisite cultural heritages have been excavated, including jade wares, potteries and lacquer wares. These, together with the site, reflect the social landscape in the heyday of Liangzhu culture. As an important witness of the origin of Chinese civilization, the site embodies a culture that was unique and extremely important in the world in its times.

In summary, so far as the origin of Chinese civilization is concerned, the remains at Liangzhu Site rank first in number, integrity, and are the best representatives to show the level of the then civilization. For this reason the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the PRC has pointed out that the site is the best among all the sites representing the early stages of Chinese civilization in terms of scale and historical value. As the great value of Liangzhu culture gets increasingly clarified, the early recognition referring to how Chinese civilization was started has been changed, and people's understanding about Chinese civilization has continued to be enriched. The site is one of the largest and most valuable pieces of material evidence to prove that Chinese civilization dates back to 5,000 years ago, and is a shrine of that civilization. It is of outstanding importance as a rare historical legacy for China and for the mankind.

Justification for Outstanding Universal Value

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

As for the criterion (i):

The profound cultural contents of the site reflect the artistic and scientific achievements of China, which stand out in the history of human civilization. The site contains a number of classic pieces in traditional civil engineering, which is characterized by the use of earth and wood. For instance, Mojiaoshan Hill is the largest site of rammed foundation dating from the Neolithic Age in China. Raising and ramming the foundation became a standard practice in later constructions, especially in the building of palaces. The multi-tiered altars on Yaoshan Hill and Huiguanshan Hill, piled on or excavated out of naturally formed hills, were the most complicate structured sites for worship of deities in the then period. In terms of the residence sites, the 7-meter-long square timber at Majinkou, the wooden plinth and wooden square well integrated tenon with mortise at Miaoqian, and the earthen wall with a wooden skeleton at Bianjiashan Hill form an important part of civil engineering heritages in the Liangzhu culture period. The exquisite jade wares, potteries and lacquer wares excavated at the site form an important part of the history of art and science of the world. The high technical level and artistic imaginativeness reflected in them indicate the highest archievement of the making and using of jade wares in the Neolithic Age in China. The black-burnished pottery excavated at the site are also great works of art. The lacquer wares excavated at the site are of very high artistic value. The lacquered cup encrusted with jade excavated at Yaoshan Hill is so far the only specimen of the jade-encrusted lacquer ware in China. The use of several colors indicates a faily high level of craftsmanship in the Liangzhu culture period. Silk fabrics discovered at Qianshanyang site attest to the fact that silk weaving started at least 4,200 years ago in China.

As for the criterion (ii):

Liangzhu culture, one of the important origins of the Chinese civilization, had far-reaching impact on the Oriental Civilization.The profound cultural contents of the site had great impact on the birth and growth of the Chinese civilization. Archaeological data indicate that during the Liangzhu period a well developed system of the use of the jade had come into being. Certain special types of jade wares were used to indicate the status, power, and sex of their possessors, thus forming an important part of the ‘ritual system'. That system, meant to maintain class-based social order, is an important characteristic of Chinese civilization.

As for the criterion (iii):

Liangzhu Site attests to a long-vanished culture that is inextricably connected with today's tradtition, ideology, beliefs, and art. Liangzhu culture, named after Liangzhu Site, experienced an obvious change about 4,200 years ago. None of the cultures that rose after it in its range-Qianshanyang culture, Guangfulin culture, and Maqiao culture-followed its course. So Liangzhu Site, with its unique scale and significance, attests to the existence of this long-vanished culture. The production and use of Liangzhu-culture jade wares, which had reached an unprecedented level, had profound impact on the tradition of jade veneration that had lasted several thousand years in China. In later ages, jade wares not only indicate social status, but also symbolize traditional moral values. The use of jade wares as embodiment of virtue, a unique cultural phenomenon in the world, was inextricably linked with Liangzhu culture. Liangzhu jade wares, representatives of which are cong, bi, and yue, are not only main embodiments of deity worship during the Liangzhu period, but also those of the Oriental concept of the communion and unity between heaven and man. The tradition they represented was inherited and incorporated, along with alterations, into the ritual jade vessel system (based on the ‘six vessels') of Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, thus having a profound impact on the jade culture of later generations.

Satements of authenticity and/or integrity

Archaeological excavation and research have confirmed the authenticity of Liangzhu Site as a site that dates from the Neolithic Age. It has been well preserved because it had been buried underground for many years. Currently, besides the villages, roads, and some enterprises and public institutions, the area of the site is covered with farm fields and plants. The site is rich in underground heritages, and its surface has mostly retained the original appearance and historic settings, having suffered no substantial human or natural destructions. In summary, the site maintains a high standard of authenticity and integrity.

Comparison with other similar properties

Liangzhu Site is one of the largest and best preserved Neolithic sites in China. It surpasses other Neolithic sites in the country in terms of scale, variety of heritages, cultural contents, and number and craftsmanship of excavated heritages. Jade wares, the most outstanding among them, have been proved unique in the world in craftsmanship, variety, and cultural contents. While the Yin-dynasty ruins, which have already been listed among World Heritage List, is the representative of the mature stage of the Chinese civilization, Liangzhu Site represents the greatest achievements at the beginning of the Chinese civilization. There are both differences and connections between the jade-based Liangzhu culture and the bronze-based Yin-ruins culture. Many elements of the Liangzhu Culture have been adopted by the Shang Culture represented by Yin-dynasty ruins and have become an integral part of the mainstream of the Chinese civilization. The birth and growth of the unified diversity of that civilization may be better understood by linking both the two sites.

In summary, the abundance and integrity of the underground heritages at Liangzhu Site, and the rich information they reflect about human society at the beginning of human civilization are rarely found in other sites of the same period. The characteristics of the human spirit, relations and ideology in early society that they have reflected, and the influence on remarking and utilizing nature that they have had are irreplaceable by other cultural forms.