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Discovered in 1921 by a Swedish geologist. Recent research indicates YangShao may have been the origin of many discoveries including symbols and language.

This neolithic culture is named after the village of Yangshao, where the first artifacts were discovered. Living in the middle reaches of the Yellow river valley. The people became increasingly skilled at farming and pottery. Emerging from the central plain, and thriving on the rivers and plateaus.

The Yangshao culture is conventionally divided into three phases(1)(2)(3):
1) Early period, or Banpo phase, 7000 to 6000 years ago: is represented by the Banpo, Jiangzhai, Beishouling and Dadiwan sites in the Wei River valley of Shaanxi;
2) Middle period, or Miaodigou phase, 6000 to 5500 years ago: the culture expanded in all directions; and their was development of hierarchies of settlement in some areas, such as western Henan; and
3) Late period, 5500 to 5000 years ago: there was greater spread of settlement hierarchies. During this period, the first wall of rammed earth was built around a settlement called Xishan, (25 ha), in central Henan (near modern Zhengzhou).
Note: Majiayao culture, 5300-4000 years ago: was to the west, and is now considered a separate culture. It developed from middle Yangshao through an intermediate Shilingxia phase.

Thus increasing livability, great evidence of agriculture was found here
Signs were millet, including foxtail and proso millet; and, good clean sources of water.
There was also evidence of rice.

Though debatable, it seems Yangshao practised small scale agriculture. Versus others, intensive agriculture in permanent fields
This way, once soil was exhausted, residents could pick up their things, and move to new lands. One such example was Jiangzhi. This settlement contained dual floored buildings. They could have been used for storing surplus grains, tools or supplies; as well as preparing food, and resting. (4)

Many of the sites had extensive signs of lithic technology. Including grinding stones; and scraping and carving tools
For things like farming, ranching; hunting and fishing; and art

The discovery of a dragon statue dating back to around 4000 BC in the Yangshao culture makes it the world’s oldest known dragon depiction (5)
Han Chinese continue to worship dragons to this day.

Ranching: the Yangshao kept pigs, and dogs. Sheep, goats and cattle were found but less often (6)
They practised sericulture (silkworm tending) and had highly specialized stone tools. Though they still hunted wild animals and fished.

Pottery: they were known for its distinctive pottery, which was made by coiling long strips of clay into the desired shape and then smoothing the surface. The pottery was usually decorated with intricate designs using white, black or red pigments. It was often painted with human facial, animal, and geometric designs.

Due to discoveries in communities and on tombsites, they may have had writing
Primitive characters are etched on objects; and incised marks on pottery have been found. Which could be interpreted as numerals, or precursors to Chinese characters.

Kind of like modern cremations. Excavations have found that children were buried in painted pottery jars. But disturbing too since it may have been more than 6000 years ago.

Did you know? Pottery of the Longshan community, (end of the Yellow river in the east), also became well known. It was less dense and elaborately decorated but manufactured using more sophisticated methods. According to archaeologists, pots made by Longshan are often found within the Yangshao; and, eventually spread all over northern China.

Pot kettles shaped like ships, were found at Banpo. Suggesting knowledge of shipbuilding.

Houses: archaeological evidence suggests that the Yangshao people lived in small villages of round, semi-subterranean houses
Houses were built by digging a rounded rectangular pit around one meter deep. Then they were rammed, and a lattice of wattle, was woven over it. It was then plastered with mud. And, coned or round roof framework was done, thatched with millet stalks at the top.

Most sites were 10-14 acres, composed around a central square
Village planning also showed knowledge of mathematics.

Places had a little furniture, a shallow fireplace in the middle with a stool, a bench along the wall, and a bed of cloth
There was a pen outside for animals.

Like many others, later in the period, they built a ring around village for predators, and pest/wildlife.

Some of there social structure is unknown. There is debate to matriarchy or patriarchy based on interpretations of burial practices(7)(8)(9)

Overall, from its thriving location on the rivers and plateaus. The Yangshao culture was very important to the neolithic era and development of Chinese civilizations. Its influence can still be seen in modern-day China. Check it out with some more neolithic architecture today!

Cite: 1) Liu, Li; Chen, Xingcan (2012), The Archaeology of China: From the Late Paleolithic to the Early Bronze Age, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-64310-8 pg. 190–191

2) Liu & Chen (2012), pg. 191–193

3) Liu, Li; Chen, Xingcan (2012), pg. 193–194

4) Chang, Kwang-chih (1986), The Archaeology of Ancient China (4th ed.), Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-03782-1, pg. 112.

5) Howard Giskin and Bettye S. Walsh (2001). An introduction to Chinese culture through thefamily. State University of New York Press. pg. 126. ISBN 0-7914-5047-3

6) Chang (1986), pg. 113

7) Roy, Kartik C.; Tisdell, C. A.; Blomqvist, Hans C. (1999). Economic development and women in the world community (https://books.google.com/books?id=EwoVk0ar1M8C&q=Yangshao+cultu
re+matriarchal&pg=PA27). Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-275-96631-7 pg. 27

8) Linduff, Katheryn M.; Yan Sun (2004). Gender and Chinese Archaeology. AltaMira Press. 244. ISBN 978-0-7591-0409-9 pg. 16–19,

9)Jiao, Tianlong (2001). “Gender Studies in Chinese Neolithic Archaeology”. In Arnold, Bettina; Wicker, Nancy L (eds.). Gender and the Archaeology of Death. AltaMira Press. ISBN 978-0-7591-0137-1 pg. 53–55

Bibliography: ⻩沛. “Yangshao Culture Museum” (https://web.archive.org/web/20180413125334/http://henan.chinadaily.com.cn/sanmenxia/2013-08/12/content_16888241.htm). henan.chinadaily.com.cn. Archived from the original (http://henan.chinadaily.com.cn/sanmenxia/2013-08/12/content_16888241.htm) on 2018-04-13

Qiu Xigui (2000). Chinese Writing. Translation of 文文字學概論 by Mattos and Jerry Norman. Early China Special Monograph Series No. 4. Berkeley: The Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. ISBN 978-1-55729-071-7

Woon, Wee Lee (1987). Chinese Writing: Its Origin and Evolution. Joint Publishing, Hong Kong