In an intriguing visit to the Diaolongbei site in Hubei, we caught a glimpse of ancient human life. Nestled among the fields of Wuzhuang Village in Zaoyang, visitors were greeted by a red-brick enclosure marked by a stone tablet noting its historical significance. On October 15, tourists from various regions flocked to the site, eager to explore the remnants of our distant relatives.
Baoming Chang, the director of the Diaolongbei Cultural Relics Management Office, shared insights on the site’s discovery. “The Diaolongbei site was uncovered during a cultural heritage survey in Hubei back in 1957,” he explained. Dating back 6,300 to 4,800 years, this site lies at the intersection of the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, strategically located along an ancient transportation route in China. The name “Diaolongbei” translates to “Dragon Carving Monument,” inspired by a stone tablet featuring a dragon motif that once stood nearby. The core area of the site spans 50,000 square meters with a cultural layer that is two meters deep.
Between 1990 and 1992, the Archaeological Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences conducted five major excavations at the site. They unearthed over 20 well-preserved house foundations within a 1,500-square-meter area, as well as two large clan cemeteries containing 133 tombs, 75 ash pits, 63 infant urn burials, and 37 ceremonial pits. The excavations yielded nearly 3,000 artifacts, including pottery, stone tools, bone implements, jade, and various decorative items.
During our visit to the house foundation exhibition hall, we noted the presence of several grooves surrounding the house bases. Baoming Chang explained that archaeologists uncovered evidence of a sliding door system. “These visible grooves resemble tracks for sliding doors,” he said. They also discovered large multi-room structures, each about 100 square meters in size, which he likened to modern apartment layouts, indicating a high level of societal development at that time.
He emphasized the scholarly importance of the Diaolongbei site for understanding cultural exchanges between ancient civilizations along the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. “The advanced housing structures, efficient agricultural tools, and significant findings of both wet and dry farming grains reflect a high level of productivity and an expanding arable land area. This is crucial for exploring the development of urban life in China,” Baoming Chang remarked.
Today, the Diaolongbei site attracts approximately 30,000 visitors annually, many of whom are archaeology enthusiasts making special trips to connect with this millennia-old history.
