Guangfulin Relics Park sheds light on rich culture

The Guangfulin Relics Park, about 4 kilometers from the Sheshan Hill, is a window shedding light on the city's rich culture and ancient history.

The park was built on the original archaeological site which was discovered in 1958 by local farmers digging a new waterway. They found ancient shards of pottery.

In 1961, archaeologists began the first systematic excavation of the site, unearthing a large volume of pottery vases, spinning wheels, cooking vessels and dishes, proving the existence of a culture that thrived some 4,000 years ago.

Archaeologists also unearthed sharpened stone weapons and tools used as axes, knives, chisels and shovels.

Excavations from 1961 to 2008 revealed a large number of bronze shards, wooden craft items and turtle shells, which were used to foretell the future in ancient China. Two tombs were also discovered. One contained the skeleton of a pig, while the other held the remains of a dog.

The antique items indicated that the Guangfulin ancestors migrated from the north. They traversed mountains, waded across rivers and finally settled in the city. To some extent, they were the first migrants of the melting pot that is Shanghai.

The relics park includes a cultural zone, a farmland protection area and an old watertown providing Chinese-style accommodation outside the park. In the farmland zone, rice, corn, sunflowers, pears and peaches are cultivated.

Located on the banks of the Shenjing River, Guangfulin was a traffic hub from a bygone era. Today it's the city's new cultural and historic destination.

The cultural zone is the highlight of the park, with over 10 themed museum areas and memorial halls. They include the Museum of Guangfulin Archaeological Remains, a memorial hall dedicated to Songjiang poet Chen Zilong (1608-1647), the Fulin Ceramics Museum, the Zhiye Buddha and the City God's Temple and Guandi Temple.

The museum complex is in the shape of three ancient jars, earning it the local nickname, the "jar museum." The museum is built underwater with its roofs on the surface.

Each building in the park is constructed of old bricks, tiles and wooden posts collected from nearby villages. All the materials are over 100 years old. The site will have cobblestone streets and buildings with whitewashed walls and gray roof tiles, done in the architectural style of old Anhui Province.

Many shops are setting up operations in the park, including coffee bars, fine-dining restaurants and teahouses. The Duoyun Bookstore, also done in old Hui-style architecture, offers a quiet place for visitors to have a moment of peace with books and tea, or coffee.

"The core value of Guangfulin lies in its precious underground relics. We need to protect, study, display and develop it in a scientific way," said the person-in-chief of the park. Each river, pond, tree and historic house is photographed, surveyed and numbered, in order to keep the area's original aesthetic.

Since June 1 last year, the relics park has been open free to the public. Events like lantern shows, summer camps, pottery seminars and archaeological lectures are held in the park all year round, offering city dwellers a suburban getaway of both entertainment and education.