Burial objects of Yangshao culture from the tomb of a young female Photo: Yang Lanlan/CSST

The Academic Conference on the Civilization Process of the Central Plains was held in late October in Sanmenxia, Henan Province. At the meeting, the Yangshao Cultural Heritage Protection, Inheritance, and Innovation Alliance was officially inaugurated, launching the Yangshao cultural data platform.

Pivotal cultural status

In 1921, the excavation of the Yangshao site and the designation of Yangshao culture marked the beginning of a scientific journey to explore the origins of Chinese civilization through archaeology. Cao Bingwu, a research fellow at the China Academy of Cultural Heritage, believes that the discovery of Yangshao culture marked the first use of scientific methods to trace early Chinese history, shifting from dependence on incomplete historical records and myths to empirical study of prehistoric remains. This discovery also stimulated the enthusiasm of Chinese scholars to explore the origins of early Chinese ethnic groups and civilizations through archaeology.

Scholars widely agree that during the mid-phase of Yangshao culture, centered on the border region of Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi provinces, the culture exerted a powerful influence across nearly half of China. This influence is primarily marked by the spread of painted pottery, which had a significant impact on surrounding cultures such as the Dawenkou, Lingjiatan, and Daxi cultures.

The Yangshao was the dominant culture of the prehistoric Central Plains cultural area and is thus a key focus in the study of the origins of Chinese civilization. According to Wei Xingtao, vice president of Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology (HPICHA), current archaeological findings and research indicate that during the mid-phase of Yangshao culture, the Miaodigou and Quanhucun cultural types were distributed across western Henan, southern Shanxi, and the Weihe River basin, respectively. The border area of Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi was not only the primary distribution area of Yangshao culture and the birthplace of the Miaodigou, but also the region where the culture was most developed during its mid-phase. Social development in this area was also highly consistent, thus it should be regarded as the core region of the mid-Yangshao culture, playing a crucial role in the study of prehistoric civilization processes. Traditionally, studies have broadly recognized the influence of mid-Yangshao culture but have seldom addressed the specific factors, mechanisms, and social stages that drove the development of its core area—key aspects for a deeper understanding of civilizational origins in the Central Plains.

Yuan Guangyuan, a professor from the School of History at Capital Normal University, noted that the origins and formation of Chinese civilization remain a major focus within academic circles. The Yangshao period, dating back 5,000 to 7,000 years, represents a crucial phase in the formation of Chinese civilization. During this period, two significant archaeological cultures were distributed along the Yellow River basin: the Yangshao in the upper and middle reaches, and the Dawenkou in the lower reaches. In recent years, new archaeological discoveries at the Xipo site in Lingbao, the Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, and the Wangzhuang site in Yongcheng in Henan Province, as well as the Jiaojia site in Ji’nan and the Gangshang site in Tengzhou in Shandong Province, have deepened our understanding of the origins and early development of Chinese civilization. Around 5,200 years ago, the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River rapidly developed, witnessing further intensification of social stratification and a considerable enhancement in resource mobilization capacity, marking the transition into the stage of proto-state civilizations.

When discussing Yangshao culture, the significance of Yangshao Village cannot be overlooked. In August 2020, the fourth archaeological excavation at the Yangshao Village site commenced, in full adherence to settlement archaeology principles and integrating multidisciplinary techniques. Li Shiwei, deputy director of the prehistoric archaeology office of the HPICHA, stated that this excavation, coupled with extensive multidisciplinary research, has greatly enriched our understanding of the social and cultural aspects, settlement layout, and subsistence economy of the Yangshao Village site. It holds great significance for studying social complexity and civilizational processes during the Yangshao and Longshan periods in western Henan.

Central Plains model

Through interdisciplinary collaborative research, scholars have developed a clearer understanding of how the exchanges, interactions, and integrations among civilizations across various regions of China ultimately shaped a historical pattern centered around the Central Plains. Cao added that the formation of Yangshao culture was a significant event in prehistoric China, and the “Longshanization” triggered during the disintegration of Yangshao culture is a subject worthy of further study. This phenomenon reflects the mechanisms of ethnic interactions and civilizational formation in early China. The convergence of different ethnic groups and cultures contributed to the formation of the Erlitou culture, and this developmental trajectory ultimately led to the Shang and Zhou civilizations, which became the core of Chinese civilization.

By comparing the Yangshao in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River with the Dawenkou of the lower reaches, Yuan observed that the two cultures exhibited marked differences in their paths and models as they evolved towards civilized societies. The Yangshao followed a “monarchy-military power” model based on a patriarchal society, while the Dawenkou, with its high-status tombs and abundant burial goods, embodied a matriarchal tradition that highlighted the balance of “monarchy, theocracy, and military power.” Although the social development paths of the two cultures were distinct, both the Central Plains and the Haidai region entered the proto-state period nearly simultaneously, around 5,000 years ago. The developmental trajectory of the Central Plains civilization—from proto-culture, proto-city to proto-state—presents the “Central Plains model” of the origins of Chinese civilization.

Wei emphasized that the organized, managed regional political entities that first emerged in the core area of the mid-Yangshao culture laid the foundation for the appearance of key civilizational elements, such as cities, social strata, and monarchical power. The “Zhudingyuan proto-state” reflects the social development achievements of the mid-Yangshao culture’s core area, and, as one of the earliest proto-states in prehistoric China, it should be regarded as an important outcome of the civilization process in the Central Plains.

The conference was hosted by the HPICHA and the Sanmenxia Research Center for Yangshao Culture.