1. Ma'anqiaoshan site in Chaoyang, Liaoning province
The Ma'anqiaoshan site is a Neolithic settlement dating from about 7,700 to 5,500 years ago. Archaeological findings show that an early settlement of Hongshan culture has been remarkably well preserved at the site. The residential area was carefully planned, with large house foundations serving as central hubs surrounded by smaller dwellings and pits. Scientific analysis indicates that people had already begun cultivating crops on a large scale during the early Hongshan period. The growth of agriculture boosted productivity, allowing communities to settle permanently and sustain long-term production. These discoveries suggest Hongshan society was becoming increasingly complex, laying important foundations for the emergence of a diverse yet unified Chinese civilization.
2. Dongshantou site in Chengde, Hebei province
Between 2022 and 2025, archaeologists excavated the Dongshantou site, which dates from about 5,500 to 5,300 years ago. They uncovered 69 archaeological features and more than 100 pottery, stone and jade artifacts. Archaeologists find the building ways of the round rubble mound tombs, the tomb structure, burial customs and features of the unearthed artifacts basically follow those from the Niuheliang site in Liaoning, which is commonly believed to be the nucleus of Hongshan culture. However, Dongshantou also revealed unique stone-piled remains believed to represent an "earth mother deity". Archaeologists believe it reflects the Hongshan people's early worship of maternal fertility and the symbolic link between the earth and childbirth.
3. Naotegai site in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia autonomous region
The site, which covers three million square meters, is one of the largest settlements of Hongshan culture discovered to date. It has been found to have a long cultural development spanning nearly three millennia. It peaked in the late period of Hongshan culture from 5,500 to 5,000 years ago. The settlement features clearly defined residential and ritual zones arranged in a layout similar to Niuheliang. Well-developed farming tools point to a thriving agricultural economy, while finely crafted jade artifacts reflect a ritual system centered on jade, suggesting the emergence of social hierarchy and status.
4. Yuanbaoshan site in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia
Excavations in 2024 confirmed Yuanbaoshan as a Hongshan ceremonial complex of tombs and sacrificial remains dating from about 5,100 to 5,000 years ago. More than 100 jade artifacts have been unearthed, including one of the largest jade dragons ever found in northern China. Human remains, pits, and ceramic, stone, bone and clamshell artifacts were also found. Particularly notable is the discovery of jade objects embedded within and beneath the walls of a circular stone mound tomb, a burial practice that offers fresh clues to Hongshan ritual traditions and their role in the development of Chinese civilization.
5. Zhengjiagou site in Zhangjiakou, Hebei
Since 2022, archaeologists have excavated the Zhengjiagou site, uncovering nine characteristic Hongshan circular stone mound tombs and more than 600 pottery, jade, stone and bone artifacts. Dating from about 5,300 to 4,800 years ago, the site extends the known lifespan of Hongshan culture by about 200 years beyond the previously accepted end date of 5,000 years ago. The discovery also overturns the earlier view that northern Hebei lay on the culture's fringe, showing instead that it served as an important regional center during Hongshan's final phase. Its elaborate burial and sacrificial traditions, together with its rich jade assemblage, suggest that Zhangjiakou was already advancing toward an early civilization around 5,000 years ago.
