[Explanation] It is now the autumn equinox, and Peiligang Village in Xinzheng, Henan Province is fruitful.
This is the first site of the Peiligang site about 8,000 years ago, and archaeological excavations continue during this harvest season.
Why did the old farmer say "I love you" for the first time?
[Explanation] Peiligang Culture is a type of cultural relic represented by the Peiligang site in Xinzheng, Henan Province, and is a Neolithic cultural relic distributed in the Central Plains.
The origin of Peiligang culture and agriculture is an important part of the Chinese civilization exploration project.
[Concurrent] Li Yongqiang, executive leader of the excavation of the Peiligang site, Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Peiligang is mainly about 8,000 years ago, when human beings experienced a critical period from frequent migration to relative settlement, and formed a village gathering with a set of lifestyles adapted to settlement.
This change has a great impact on the social development of our later human civilization.
[Explanation] In the 1970s, three excavations were carried out at the Peiligang site. Archaeologists discovered cultural layers, public cemeteries, and a small number of ash pits and pottery cellars here, and unearthed a number of relics with typical characteristics.
[Explanation] In 2018, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences launched the fourth active archaeological excavation at the Peiligang site. The excavation found a large number of carbonized husks and a small amount of flotation of plant seeds.
Archaeologists preliminarily judged that during the Peiligang culture period, agriculture had already developed initially.
[Concurrent] Li Yongqiang, executive leader of the excavation of the Peiligang site, Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The cultural relics of the Peiligang period are mainly pottery (and) stone tools.
Pottery is mainly clay pots, as well as three-legged bowls and tripods; stone tools are mainly axes, shovels, sickles, stone grinding plates, and stone grinding rods.
For example, he may use a tripod or a deep belly pot to cook food, and some food may be produced from (work) agriculture, including some plant seeds ground with stone grinding discs and stone grinding sticks, and some may be related to agriculture.
For example, we found millet, millet, rice (etc.) in the site.
[Explanation] At present, in the western part of the Peiligang site, the latest excavation has confirmed that a large number of microlithic tools and processed ostrich eggshells and other late Paleolithic remains have been unearthed. This is a new major discovery at the site, advancing the age of use of the Peiligang site forward to Around 30,000 years ago.
[Concurrent] Li Yongqiang, executive leader of the excavation of the Peiligang site, Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
We are still excavating this site, and there are new and other important discoveries.
For example, we have pushed the history of this site forward by tens of thousands of years, and now we have found that the Peiligang site contains remains of the late Paleolithic age, which is 8,000 years earlier than Peiligang.
[Explanation] Strolling through Peiligang Village is a scene of a bumper harvest. Pomegranates and walnuts are bent over the branches, and corn and peanuts are mostly dried in the front and back of the house.
[Concurrent] Villager Li Xiaomin
(planted) twelve or three acres of land, contracted a few acres, my own land is two or three acres, and the harvest is a bumper harvest.
It used to be life, and to be honest, it was a "stagnant water", but now I feel like there is something going on.
[Explanation] In recent years, archaeology has attracted much attention, and Peiligang Village has also ushered in new opportunities for development.
Today, Peiligang Cultural Exhibition Center, research classrooms, farmhouses, and homestays have been built one after another, becoming a well-known "Internet celebrity village", attracting tourists.
[Same period] Zhao Peng, a staff member of the Zhengzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau in Peiligang Boutique New Village Construction
In accordance with the main line of cultural revitalization, we have built some agricultural civilization exhibition halls, as well as homestays and clay pottery centers, ancient method pressing workshops, as well as renovation and upgrading of the village appearance, which are needed for the future development of the village.
After more than a year of hard work, all our boutique village projects have been completed and will be put into operation in the next step.
[Concurrent] Villager Li Xiaomin
I am 56 (years old) this year, and I have never (before) said anything like I love you or I like you. Through (several years) development, I like Pei Ligang more and more, my village more and more, for me Proud of the development of the village.
Reporter Li Chaoqing Han Zhangyun Chenghang reports from Xinzheng, Henan
Responsible editor: [Peng Dawei]