Ancient jade culture comes alive at Lingjiatan

Farmers tending fields in Tongzhai Town, Anhui province, in 1985 made a discovery that proved to be a major piece of the puzzle, helping researchers understand China's ancient origins. Atop a hill, they found an ancient cemetery and the remnants of a Neolithic settlement.

Located in Hanshan county, Ma'anshan city, the Lingjiatan Archaeological Park is estimated to be between 5,800 and 5,300 years old. According to research conducted as part of the project to trace the origins of Chinese civilization, Lingjiatan holds a pivotal place in the early development of China, providing tangible evidence of over 5,000 years of Chinese history.

The artifacts unearthed from the site by archaeologists over the years have provided valuable insights into China's prehistoric jade culture. Lingjiatan, alongside Hongshan and Liangzhu, forms one of prehistoric China's three major jade cultural centers.

Since its discovery, 17 archaeological excavations have taken place at the site, which covers 2.2 million square meters. Over 4,000 artifacts have been unearthed, including more than 1,200 jade and stone artifacts.

Inside the roughly 4,000 sq m subterranean Lingjiatan Site Museum, which opened in 2025, visitors can see many of these priceless artifacts on display and learn about them through multimedia and interactive displays. These national treasures demonstrate the craftsmanship and social status of those they were buried alongside.

One of the major discoveries on display is a long double tiger-headed pendant, likely worn by someone of elevated social status. The piece is discolored as the two halves were discovered 30 years apart, one tiger waiting in the soil to be reunited with the other after decades of modern excavation. Another, the double-ringed jade bi disc, inspired the designs of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics medals.

The extensive collection excavated from Lingjiatan also includes jade priest figures and an artifact that is referred to as the "first jade dragon" — a piece that demonstrates that the significance of dragons in Chinese culture extends back not centuries but millennia.

There are practical pieces too — axes and spoons — though their purpose was likely ceremonial and symbolic rather than domestic.

Deeper inside, there is a recreation of the ancient cemetery that demonstrates how jade was used symbolically to ensure the deceased had the tools perceived as necessary in death. There's even an interactive exhibit where visitors can touch pottery pieces dating back about 5,000 years, connecting them to the ancient people that once lived at the Lingjiatan site.

Visitors not only get the opportunity to see these jade artifacts and touch 5,000-year-old pottery shards but can also pay their respects at the final resting place of the very people they belonged to.

The actual cemetery is a short walk or minibus ride away for those looking to see where the artifacts were discovered. There, the veil between past and present is thin. The tombs, opened and visible to the public, display the hierarchical structure of this ancient society.

The graves, labeled in order of their discovery, demonstrate the social structure that existed here over 5,000 years ago, signaled by the placement of these priceless jade items.

The jade items in the graves are replicas; the real ones are kept out of the elements, protected for future generations and ongoing research.

The Neolithic site is considered one of the top 100 archaeological discoveries in China over the past century and was named in the top 10 in 1998. In December 2023, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage listed it as being representative of the first stage of ancient state civilization.

The author is an anthropologist and an Australian editor of China Daily.

king@chinadaily.com.cn