A trip back in time through ancient pottery

Twenty years ago, a Neolithic site was discovered in Pujiang County in the middle of Zhejiang Province containing pottery and carbonized grains of rice dating back 8,400 to 11,400 years.

So far, 19 such ancient sites have been discovered along the upper reaches of the Qiantang River which runs through the middle and northern parts of the province and is one of the region’s most significant waterways.

Archeologists classified relics from these sites as Shangshan Culture.

For millennia, this area has been the center of the regional pottery and ceramics industries. People can view these unearthed artifacts and ancient grains in an exhibition at Zhejiang Museum’s Gushan Pavilion through March 14.

Prior to the discovery of Shangshan Culture, archeologists believed the grains found at the Hemudu site in Ningbo came from the earliest domesticated rice paddy in the world. However, the Shangshan discovery proved they were off by 4,000 years.

Zhejiang Museum / Ti Gong

“The grains we discovered were different than their wild counterparts, because they were clearly domesticated,” said Jiang Leping, an archeologist at the Zhejiang Archeology Institute. “Also, a large number of chaffs were discovered in pieces of pottery, proving the Shangshan people cultivated rice on a large scale.”

Thanks to the cultivation of rice paddies, more tribes gathered along the Qiantang River basin and developed more thriving societies, including the Kuahuqiao, Hemudu and Liangzhu cultures.

Though Shangshan’s pottery lacked the smoothness and refinement found in later pottery, the artifacts indicate they used firing techniques and created vessels for daily uses.

One of the exhibition’s highlights is the red patterned pottery which is believed to be the earliest colored pottery in the world. They feature simple designs and were mainly used as containers.

“Some pottery was painted with solar patterns — a kind of worship of the sun,” said Jiang.

Zhejiang Museum / Ti Gong

“Ten-thousand-year Zhejiang, Shangshan Culture” exhibition

Date: Through March 14 (closed on Mondays)

Admission: Free

Address: 25 Gushan Rd

孤山路25号