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Niuheliang Archaeological Site

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.

China (Asia and the Pacific)

Date of Submission: 12/02/1996
Criteria: (iii)(iv)
Category: Cultural
Submission prepared by:
State Bureau of Cultural Relics
Coordinates:
Chaoyang city - Liaoning Province Long. 119°30' East Lat. 41°20' North
Ref.: 141

Description

Niuheliang archaeological site, situated at the upper reaches of Dalinghe river and in the valley of Nuluerhu Mountain, belongs to the late Neolithic Hongshan Culture, which ages 3500 BC. It is a complex archaeological site made up of the Goddess Temple and the northern platform, the cairns and altar. it covers an area of 50 Km. The Goddess Temple, located on the top of the main ridge, is in subterranean civil structure. The area of the remained undergroud part is 75m, with one meter deep. The clay goddess statues, mural paintings and the painted pottery were unearthed. The cairns located on the top of the surrounding two hills were layed into square or round stepped tomb mound with limestone. Most of these tombs covers an area above 400m, and attached with painted cylindrical ware in rows. There is the large central burial inside the tomb with burial dragons, tortoises, bire-shaped pendants and jade hoops etc. The altar between the tombs is annular stone-fenced with three layers. There is a "pyramid" shaped building with earth and stone structure at the southern low hill, and the diameter of the stone steps is 60m. the sites are distributed along the trend of the mountain in line with the south-north axis, high echoing low and primary and secondary is distinct. The large scope building groups mainly with religious sacrifice, forming the center of the highest gradation of Honshan Culture are the positiveness to enter the ancient state age from Liao river valley at "Five-Emperor" period 5000 years ago.