The Dawn of Discovery: Foreign Explorers and Early Finds

The story of prehistoric archaeology in Sichuan and Chongqing begins not with local scholars, but with curious outsiders. In the late 19th century, foreign missionaries and adventurers venturing into China’s southwest became the unlikely pioneers of the region’s archaeological record. These early explorers stumbled upon stone tools scattered across Yunnan and Chongqing, leaving behind fragmentary clues about ancient human activity.

The early 20th century saw more systematic investigations by international scholars. Between 1925-1926, the Central Asian Expedition team from the American Museum of Natural History conducted archaeological surveys that would prove particularly significant. Their work in the Yangtze River’s Three Gorges region uncovered several prehistoric sites near Wushan, including the now-famous Daxi site. These discoveries, though preliminary, marked the first scientific recognition of Sichuan’s prehistoric heritage.

A New Era: Systematic Archaeology Begins (1950s-1960s)

The 1950s brought transformative change to Sichuan’s archaeological landscape. In 1957, the Sichuan Provincial Museum’s Eastern Sichuan Survey Team embarked on a landmark investigation along the Xiajiang River’s eight counties and cities. Their work revealed tantalizing clues about Neolithic settlements that had lain hidden for millennia.

The following year witnessed an even more ambitious project. As plans for the Three Gorges Dam project took shape, Sichuan’s cultural heritage authorities organized comprehensive surveys that identified hundreds of ancient cultural sites and tomb clusters throughout the Three Gorges region. These efforts yielded crucial evidence about Neolithic habitation patterns.

The real breakthrough came in 1959 when the Sichuan Yangtze River Cultural Relics Protection Committee excavated the Wushan Daxi site. This marked Southwest China’s first large-scale Neolithic archaeological excavation, producing such significant findings that it led to the formal identification of “Daxi Culture” – a milestone in Chinese archaeological classification.

The early 1960s saw Sichuan University’s archaeology department expand investigations to northwestern Sichuan, where they discovered over twenty sites and stone tool collection points. Particularly intriguing were the painted pottery fragments showing influences from the Majiayao Culture of northwestern China, suggesting ancient cultural connections across vast distances.

Expanding Horizons: The 1970s and Beyond

Archaeological activity intensified through the 1970s with both revisits to known sites and exciting new discoveries. In 1975, the Anning River Valley Archaeological Survey Team identified nearly forty Neolithic sites along this tributary of the Jinsha River. The Xichang Lizhou site emerged as particularly significant, undergoing extensive excavation between 1974-1976.

Collaborative efforts between the Nanchong Regional Cultural Bureau and Chongqing Museum in 1979 yielded more Neolithic clues along the Jialing River’s banks. The following year, Chongqing Museum’s test excavation at the Jiangjin Wangyemiao site produced stone tools and pottery, adding another piece to the growing puzzle of regional prehistory.

The Three Gorges Effect: Archaeology in the Dam Shadow

The launch of the massive Yangtze Three Gorges Hydraulic Project in the 1990s unexpectedly propelled regional archaeology forward. Between 1992-1993 and 1995, survey teams comprising dozens of research institutions conducted multiple large-scale investigations throughout the Three Gorges area. Simultaneous excavations at key sites like Wushan’s Weijialiangzi, Fengjie’s Laoguanmiao, and Zhongxian’s Shaopengzui revolutionized understanding of the region’s Neolithic cultures.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences focused on Sichuan Basin’s northern edge from 1989 onward. Their excavations at Guangyuan’s Zhangjiapo, Dengjiaping, Zhongzipu, and Mianyang’s Bianduishan sites established a clear developmental sequence of Neolithic cultures dating back 7,000 years. The Zhongzipu microlithic remains, dating between 6,000-7,000 years ago, stood out as a signature Yangtze River Valley Neolithic site characterized by abundant small stone tools.

The Lost Cities of Chengdu Plain

The 1990s brought perhaps the most spectacular finds – ancient city ruins dating to China’s Longshan period (circa 3000-1900 BCE) scattered across the Chengdu Plain. These included:
– Xinjin’s Baodun City (best preserved)
– Wenjiang’s Yufu City
– Dujiangyan’s Mang City
– Chongzhou’s Shuanghe City
– Pixian’s Ancient City

These discoveries marked a new chapter in Southwest China’s prehistoric archaeology, pushing research into more advanced stages of social development. The Baodun site alone covered over 600,000 square meters, its massive scale hinting at sophisticated social organization.

Decoding Ancient Cultures: The Scholarly Journey

Early research struggled with limited materials and unclear regional cultural characteristics. Pioneer scholar Zheng Dekun conducted the first systematic study of Sichuan’s prehistoric stone tools in the 1940s, analyzing specimens from about 90 locations. His work proposed classifications spanning the Mesolithic through Chalcolithic periods.

As discoveries multiplied after the 1950s, researchers gained clearer understanding of regional Neolithic cultures. The 1970s saw preliminary typological studies identifying distinct cultural types:
– East: Ganjinggou Type
– Southwest: Lizhou Culture
– Dadu River Valley: Shizishan and Beihoushan Types
– Qingyi River Valley: Doudancun Type
– Western Sichuan: Zhongxingchang Type

The 1990s sparked vigorous academic debates as researchers synthesized findings from northern Sichuan, Chengdu, and the Three Gorges regions. These discussions, grounded in excavation data, represented the most authoritative conclusions of 20th century research.

Spotlight on Three Key Cultures

### The Baodun Culture: Chengdu Plain’s Neolithic Legacy

Emerging from obscurity in the 1980s following large-scale excavations at Guanghan’s Sanxingdui site, the Baodun Culture represents Chengdu Plain’s late Neolithic period. Named after Xinjin’s Baodun village site, this culture shows similarities with contemporary Three Gorges Neolithic cultures in pottery styles (predominantly flat-bottomed and ring-footed vessels without tripods or rounded bottoms).

Key Baodun Culture sites include:
– Sanxingdui (Phase I)
– Xinjin Baoduncun
– Dujiangyan Mangcheng
– Pixian Guchengcun
– Wenjiang Yufucheng
– Chongzhou Shuanghecheng
– Mianyang Bianduishan

Dating between approximately 2870-2100 BCE (contemporary with China’s Longshan period), Baodun Culture reveals:
– Handmade pottery with wheel finishing
– Predominance of sandy brown and gray clay wares
– Distinctive cord-marked decorations
– Small polished stone tools (axes, adzes, chisels)
– Dense city networks with large central settlements
– Evidence of social stratification

The Baodun city sites demonstrate sophisticated urban planning:
– Strategic locations near rivers
– Square or rectangular layouts (some polygonal)
– Rampart construction without foundation trenches
– Some featuring double walls
– Protective moats from construction earthworks

Recent cemetery discoveries show:
– Elongated small pit tombs
– Supine extended burials
– Northwest head orientation
– Sparse grave goods (mostly personal ornaments)

### Three Gorges Western Region Neolithic Remains

The 1990s Three Gorges Dam salvage archaeology revealed rich late Neolithic materials in Chongqing’s river gorges. Key sites include:
– Wushan Weijialiangzi
– Suolong
– Fengjie Laoguanmiao
– Zhongxian Shaopengzui

These share characteristics with Baodun Culture but maintain distinct regional features:
– Handmade, wheel-finished pottery
– Sandy reddish-brown wares
– Cord-marked and pressed decorations
– Thickened, floral-rimmed vessel mouths
– Flat-bottomed and ring-footed vessels
– Mix of polished and flaked stone tools

Carbon-14 dating suggests these cultures flourished around 2000 BCE, contemporary with Baodun and Chinese Longshan cultures.

### Lizhou Culture: Southwest Sichuan’s Neolithic Frontier

The 1974-1976 excavations at Xichang’s Lizhou site unveiled a distinctive late Neolithic culture in Sichuan’s mountainous southwest. Key features include:
– Sandy reddish-brown pottery (low firing temperature)
– Incised, awl-punctured, and combed decorations
– Unique vessel forms (double-linked jars, barrel-shaped vessels with lifting lugs)
– Predominantly flat-bottomed vessels
– Distinctive stone tools (crescent-shaped knives, discoid choppers)
– Elongated rectangular pit tombs (4-8m long)
– Grave goods placed at tomb ends (20-50 pottery vessels per tomb)

Dating approximately 1500 BCE, Lizhou Culture shows connections with Yunnan’s Dadunzi Culture across the Jinsha River, though questions remain about their exact relationship.

Legacy and Ongoing Mysteries

The archaeological journey through Sichuan and Chongqing’s prehistoric past continues to rewrite regional history. From initial foreign collections to systematic modern excavations, our understanding has grown exponentially. Yet significant questions remain:

– What earlier cultures gave rise to Baodun?
– How exactly did Baodun evolve into Sanxingdui’s Bronze Age civilization?
– What relationships existed between mountain, plain, and river valley cultures?
– Can clearer cultural sequences be established throughout the region?

As research continues, Sichuan and Chongqing’s archaeological treasures promise to reveal even more about China’s diverse prehistoric heritage and the complex processes that shaped early civilizations in this geologically and culturally dramatic region.