An aerial drone photo taken on May 20, 2025 shows the Dawen River (upper L), Dawenkou Site Museum (upper R) and the core area of the Dawenkou site in Tai'an, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

JINAN, May 28 (Xinhua) -- At the foot of Mount Tai in east China, archaeologists work carefully in fields abloom with flowers, gently brushing soil from exposed ruins. The remnants are vestiges of a once-great civilization that prospered approximately 6,100 to 4,600 years ago.

This is part of a new phase of excavations at the Neolithic Dawenkou site. The dig, launched in 2024 and set to continue through 2028, will help archaeologists uncover more information about how early human communities lived, worked, and built their societies, said Zhang Baowei, head of the Dawenkou Cultural Heritage Preservation Center.

He said the team had already unearthed intriguing discoveries -- including an 85-meter-wide trench, possibly used for defense, that could shed light on the early development of social organization or even statehood.

Mount Tai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China's most sacred mountains, has long been culturally and spiritually symbolic. Now, its foothills are offering new insights into the origins of Chinese civilization.

The Dawenkou Culture, which preceded the better-known Longshan Culture, once spread across more than 200,000 square kilometers. It was centered around Mount Tai and Dawen River in present-day Shandong Province.

First identified in the 1950s during railway construction, the site has yielded thousands of artifacts over the years -- from pottery and jade to burial sites and dwellings. Some items are marked with symbols that some researchers believe may be early precursors to Chinese writing.

Archaeologists have marveled at the sophistication of the Dawenkou Culture.

Liu Yunlong, an archaeologist working at the site, said patches of red burnt earth uncovered were believed to be the remains of collapsed house walls.

According to Liu, these walls may have been deliberately fired in their entirety to enhance structural stability, suggesting that people at the time had already mastered the ability to control extremely high temperatures.

In modern attempts to replicate the technique, Liu added, archaeologists fired a similar structure continuously for four days at nearly 800 degrees Celsius -- but were unable to reproduce the same result.

"Our Neolithic ancestors were far more advanced than we imagined," he said, noting that even the layout of the dwellings showed signs of deliberate and sophisticated design.

Excavations indicate that the Dawenkou people had already engaged in barter trade, and early handicrafts such as brewing, pottery-making, and textile production were beginning to emerge.

This photo taken on May 20, 2025 shows potteries displayed at the Dawenkou Site Museum in Tai'an, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Artifacts found in burial sites suggest the presence of social stratification and a clear division of labor. Some graves contain a wealth of goods, implying the emergence of private property, social classes, and even rudimentary forms of royal authority.

These burial practices also reveal the existence of ritual systems aimed at regulating interpersonal relationships -- an early form of what later became known in Chinese history as "Li."

Zhang noted that the Dawenkou ritual system likely influenced other civilizations of that time, as well as those of the later Shang and Zhou dynasties (1600 BC-256 BC).

After being systematized by Confucius (551 BC-479 BC), these rituals continue to profoundly shape Chinese civilization to this day.

The ongoing excavations are also part of China's broader effort to explore the origins of its ancient civilization. Around the same time of the Dawenkou Culture, multiple early cultures developed across the vast land of China, contributing to a pluralistic yet unified framework that underpins the origins of Chinese civilization.

In the 21st century BC, China's first dynasty -- the Xia -- was established, whose existence has been confirmed through archaeological findings.

Before the Xia Dynasty, the Liangzhu Culture, which emerged in the south, is also believed to have exhibited features of an early state. The Dawenkou Culture represents another prominent example of early social complexity, shedding light on the origins of Chinese civilization.

Shan Jixiang, former curator of the Palace Museum, once remarked that the discovery of Dawenkou relics pushes the origins of Chinese civilization back by 2,000 to 3,000 years.

"The remarkable achievements of ancient Chinese civilization make people today feel proud," said Zhang.

This photo taken on May 20, 2025 shows a zun, a type of Chinese ritual ceramic wine vessel with a vase-like form, displayed at the Dawenkou Site Museum in Tai'an, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

China places great importance on the protection and transmission of its ancient culture. With a history that spans thousands of years, Chinese civilization represents the unique spiritual identity of the nation, serves as the cultural foundation of contemporary China, and remains a vital link connecting Chinese communities around the world. It is also a rich source of inspiration for cultural innovation, he said.

Experts note that the significance of archaeology goes beyond understanding the past; it also holds relevance for modern life.

In 2016, the Dawenkou national archaeological site park was established, serving as a base for historical and cultural education as well as youth programs. The park receives nearly 100,000 visitors annually.

"It is a source of pride to live on the land of our ancestors," said Zhang Yiqiang, Party secretary of Dawenkou Township. "The perseverance and creativity of early peoples inspire us to do better." In recent years, Dawenkou has developed an industrial park and launched pilot projects for high-yield farmland, helping raise local incomes.

At the foot of Mount Tai, a company draws inspiration from traditional culture to develop health products made from polygonatum, a traditional Chinese herb.

The business of Taishang Polygonatum Biotech Co., Ltd. has helped lift more than 40,000 farmers out of poverty.

"What our ancestors left us is more than physical nourishment; it is a spiritual and civilizational legacy," said Wang Qian, the company's executive vice general manager.