Introduction

The Neolithic period of China encompasses several thousand years over a large, diverse area including mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. This area is within the current political boundaries of the People’s Republic of China (PRC; including Hong Kong and Macau) and the Republic of China (Taiwan). Distinct cultural traditions developed in north and south China. Beginning c. 8000 BC, Early Holocene era peoples developed diversified subsistence practices, including initial steps toward domestication of plants and animals (see Animal Domestication; Plant Domestication). Varied subsistence technologies, crafts, and housing styles continue to characterize these regions.

At the same time, similar technological and social changes took place in different regions. Some settlements began to be occupied for longer periods of time, rather than on a seasonal basis. People used different kinds of material items to express both group and individual social roles. Striking ceramic traditions emerged, and ground stone tools began to be used. There is material evidence for early ritual practices and belief systems. During the Middle Neolithic period after c. 5500 BC, numerous farming cultures developed all over China. Permanently occupied villages became common, and craft production became more diversified. Social status was symbolized in burials and in residential remains. There are striking remains of public rituals and artifacts intended to display group ideology. During the Late Neolithic period after c. 3000 BC, marked social changes took place. These include the development of settlement hierarchies, the emergence of regional polities, more labor-intensive craft goods (pottery, fine stone) produced by specialists, and greater emphasis on display of individual social status in burials. During the final Neolithic period, c. 2600-1900 BC, these trends intensified. Regional polities became larger, urbanism began to develop, there was more intercommunity violence, and social differentiation increased. Incipient states may have formed in more than one region. The subsequent Early Bronze Age is known for its powerful states, large-scale bronze metallurgy, the first known writing system, rigid social stratification, and urban centers.

Archaeology in China

Archaeology is a well-established field in both the PRC and Taiwan. Active field research is being carried out in diverse areas, including research and rescue excavations. Every year, numerous, well-illustrated reports of excavations and surveys are published as monographs and in archaeological journals. On the mainland, professional archaeologists can be found in history departments at universities, the National Institute of Archaeology in Beijing, provincial institutes of archaeology, in museums, or in city government units. In Taiwan, archaeologists work at universities (including anthropology departments) and the key research institution called Academia Sinica (in Taipei). Collaborative fieldwork with foreign archaeologists has taken place in Taiwan for decades, while it was first permitted on the mainland during the mid-1990s. On the mainland, rescue excavations have become particularly important during the past 20 years as economic development has intensified. Hundreds of Neolithic sites are found each year when new roads and buildings are constructed. The largest-scale rescue project has been in the Three Gorges area of the central Yangzi river valley. Archaeological teams from all over the PRC are excavating numerous Neolithic, Bronze Age, and later sites in advance of the rising water levels in association with the massive new dam being built at Sandouping in Hubei province. Several reports on these excavations have already been published. In addition, considerable government funding is devoted to museums at the national, provincial, and local levels in the PRC and Taiwan. Another priority is the protection of archaeological sites. On the mainland, for example, there are Bureaus for the Management of Cultural Relics at the local, provincial, and national levels of government.