The list of the third group of national archaeological parks was announced at the meeting held by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in Cixi city, Zhejiang province on Dec 2. Longqiuzhuang Archaeological Park in Gaoyou city, Jiangsu province was on the list. It's also the only one from Jiangsu province.
Located in the eastern suburb of Gaoyou, Longqiuzhuang cultural heritage site is from the Neolithic Age with a history that dates back 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. The central area of the site covers 43,000 square meters, and it is considered the largest and best preserved site in the Jianghuai area.
A horn pickax, the most valuable relic at Longqiuzhuang site, proves that people at that time already used tools to plant and collect agricultural products, enriching the culture of ancient rice cultivation there.
In 1994, archaeologists found more than 4,000 grains of carbonized rice in Longqiuzhuang. It was the first time that prehistoric cultivated rice was found in China, which reflected the historical development of rice cultivation in eastern Jianghuai area.
It is recorded in the Chinese History of Chopsticks that bone chopsticks unearthed at the Longqiuzhuang are the earliest example of chopsticks in China.
The earliest finding by archaeologist proves that ancient Chinese people here used pottery attachments to regulate hand movements, all facilitating the use of the right hand and restricting the left hand.
