List of Neolithic cultures of China

This is a list of Neolithic cultures of China that have been unearthed by archaeologists. They are sorted in chronological order from earliest to latest and are followed by a schematic visualization of these cultures.

It would seem that the definition of Neolithic in China is undergoing changes. The discovery in 2012 of pottery about 20,000 years BC indicates that this measure alone can no longer be used to define the period. It will fall to the more difficult task of determining when cereal domestication started.

List

Dates (BCE) English name Chinese name Modern-day name and location 18000–7000 Xianren Cave culture(Paleolithic) Wannian County, Shangrao, Jiangxi 8500–7700 Nanzhuangtou culture Yellow River region in southern Hebei 7500–6100 Pengtoushan culture central Yangtze region in northwestern Hunan 7000–5000 Peiligang culture Yi-Luo river basin valley in Henan 6500–5500 Houli culture Shandong 6200–5400 Xinglongwa culture Inner Mongolia-Liaoning border 6000–5000 Kuahuqiao culture Zhejiang 6000–5500 Cishan culture southern Hebei 5800–5400 Dadiwan culture Gansu and western Shaanxi 5500–4800 Xinle culture lower Liao River on the Liaodong Peninsula 5500–3500 Gaomiao culture Yangtze River, Hunan 5400–4500 Zhaobaogou culture Luan River valley in Inner Mongolia and northern Hebei 5300–4100 Beixin culture Shandong 5000–4500 Hemudu culture Yuyao and Zhoushan, Zhejiang 5000–3000 Daxi culture Three Gorges region 5000–3000 Majiabang culture Lake Tai area and north of Hangzhou Bay 5000–3000 Yangshao culture Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi 4800–4300 Tangjiagang culture Hunan, Liyang Plain of the Lishui River 4700–2900 Hongshan culture Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Hebei 4100–2600 Dawenkou culture Shandong, Anhui, Henan, and Jiangsu 3800–3300 Songze culture Lake Tai area 3400–2250 Liangzhu culture Yangtze River Delta 3100–2700 Majiayao culture upper Yellow River region in Gansu and Qinghai 3100–2700 Qujialing culture middle Yangtze region in Hubei and Hunan 3000–2000 Longshan culture central and lower Yellow River 2800–2000 Baodun culture Chengdu Plain 2500–2000 Shijiahe culture middle Yangtze region in Hubei 1900–1500 Yueshi culture lower Yellow River region in Shandong1600–1400Erligang cultureNorth China Plain

Schematic outline

These cultures existed during the period from 8500 to 1500 BC. Neolithic cultures remain unmarked and Bronze Age cultures (from 2000 BC) are marked with *. There are many differences in opinion on the dating for these cultures, so the dates chosen here are tentative: Year(BC) North-eastChina(1) UpperYellow River(2) MiddleYellow River(3) Lower-YellowRiver(4) Lower-Yangtze(5) Middle-Yangtze(6) Sichuan (7) SoutheastChina(8) South-westChina(9) 8500 Nanzhuangtou8500–7700 8000 7500 7000 Pengtoushan(includingChengbeixiand Zaoshi)7000–5800 6500 Dadiwan Peiligang Houli6500–5500 Zengpiyan7000–5500 Xinglongwa6200–5400 Laoguantai Cishan Baijia6500–5000 Jiahu 6000 Lijiacun6500–5000 Kuahuqiao6000–5000 5500 Beixin5300–4500 Xinle5300–4800 5000 Yangshao5000–3000 Hemudu5000–3400 Daxi5000–3300 Dapenkeng Fuguodun5000–3000 Majiabang5000–4000 4500 Zhaobaogou4500–4000 Dawenkou4300–2600 Songze4000–3000 4000 3500 Qujialing3500–2600 Hongshan(incl. Fuhe)3400–2300 Yingpanshan3100–? Majiayao3300–2700 Liangzhu3200–1800 3000 Tanishan Banshan2700–2400 Shijiahe2500–2000 Baodun2800–2000 Shixia Longshan2800–2000 Nianyuzhuan 2500 Machang2400–2000 Qinglongquan Qinglongquan Longshan2400–2000 Hedang3000–? Baiyangcun2200–2100 *Xiaoheyan3000–2000 *Qijia2300–1800 *Shimao2300–1800 2000 *Xiajiadian2200–300 Dalongtan2100–2000 *Erlitou1900–1500 *Yueshi1900–1500 *Panlongcheng1900-1400 *Siba1950–1500 *Maqiao1800–1200 Âu Việt2000-257 1500*Erligang1600–1400 *Sanxingdui1700–1150 *Wucheng1600-1200 *Wucheng1400-1200 *Siwa1350-650 *Huanbei 1350-1300 *Shi'erqiao1200-800 1000 *Zhou dynasty1046–256 *Dayangzhou1200-? *Dayangzhou1200-? *Ordos800-150*Jinsha800-200

For this schematic outline of its neolithic cultures China has been divided into the following nine parts: Northeast China: Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. Northwest China (Upper Yellow River): Gansu, Qinghai and western part of Shaanxi. North-central China (Middle Yellow River): Shanxi, Hebei, western part of Henan and eastern part of Shaanxi. Eastern China (lower Yellow River): Shandong, Anhui, northern part of Jiangsu and eastern part Henan. East-south-eastern China (lower Yangtze): Zhejiang and biggest part of Jiangsu. South-central China (middle Yangtze): Hubei and northern part of Hunan. Sichuan and upper Yangtze. Southeast China: Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, southern part of Hunan, lower Red River in the northern part of Vietnam and the island of Taiwan. Southwest China: Yunnan and Guizhou.

List of Neolithic cultures of China

Bron en licentie