China in the Neolithic Period
Yangshao, Banpo and Longshan Cultures in Prehistoric Chinese History
Jul 20, 2009
The Neolithic period in China comes immediately before the establishment of the Xia dynasty in the 21st Century BC. It began around 12,000 BC but good evidence of settlements from this period only dates back to between 6,000 and 4,000 BC. While hunter gathering was still being practised across the China area, this age was characterised by the spread of settled agricultural communities, which can be categorised into two distinct cultural groups by the distinct styles of pottery which have been found.
Yangshao Culture
According to TravelChinaGuide.com, over a thousand Yangshao culture sites have been found, primarily at Jianzhai in the Shanxi Province and the Banpo site in Xian. Shanxi is regarded as the centre of the Yangshao culture because the majority of the sites are found in this region. As pottery was one of the major cultural advances of this era, it is by pottery discoveries that much of the information about the culture is known. Hand-made red pottery has been found including items such as cooking vessels, bowels cups and jars.
The culture was centred on agriculture, crops included millet and chestnuts, and pigs and dogs were raised as livestock. Tools were mainly used for grinding, but stone axes, arrows and harpoons were commonly used.
The Banpo culture was part of the Yangshao culture and was characterised by villages surrounded by a moat to prevent attack by wild animals. Houses were built with part of the dwelling underground, and were square or circular in shape. The Banpo made exquisitely painted pottery with patterns including human faces, deer, fish and plants, as well as a variety of geometric shapes.
Longshan Culture
The Longshan culture was more advanced than the Yangshao culture in several ways. The Longshan used implements made of both stone and copper and their tools included stone knives used to drill holes, as well as stone reaping hooks and shovels. Pottery techniques had also improved and larger quantities of pottery were made while maintaining the quality of the work. Their building style was characterised by rectangular earth-platform buildings using a technique called “rammed earth”.
Family Life
It was during the Neolithic period that the people began to form clans – communities of people linked by family ties – around a totem which was usually an animal or a plant. These clans shared the fruit of their labours equally under the supervision of a leader. Marriages at this stage became monogamous with strict stipulations including the prohibition of younger people marrying their elders and cousins were not allowed to marry.
The Neolithic period marks the beginning of the development of Chinese culture – the birth of a civilisation.
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