The Niuheliang Site.
The Niuheliang Site is located at the junction of Lingyuan City and Jianping County, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province. It is an important site of the late Hongshan Culture and has been rated as one of the "100 Great Archaeological Discoveries of the 20th Century in China". It dates back to 5500-5000 years ago. The Niuheliang Site is a representative of the first stage of the ancient state period in the Project of Tracing the Origins of Chinese Civilization. The site was discovered in 1981 and excavated in 1983. The discovery of the Hongshan Culture altars, temples, tombs and precious jade artifacts at Niuheliang provides solid and abundant archaeological evidence that as early as 5000 years ago, during the late Hongshan Culture period, social morphology had already developed to the ancient state stage of primitive civilization, providing strong material evidence for the five-thousand-year civilization history of the Chinese nation.
•Transportation:
oFrom outside the province: It is recommended to take a high-speed train to Jianping Station or Niuheliang Station.
oLocal transportation: You can take a shuttle bus from the park to Jianping Station and Niuheliang Station. Buses run every hour, but may be cancelled if there are few passengers. You can also take a taxi from the high-speed train station, but it is difficult to get a taxi near the scenic area. You can ask the taxi driver if they can pick you up on the way back.
oScenic area transportation: It is recommended to purchase a scenic area ticket (20 yuan/person), as the distance from the museum to the scenic area is quite long.
•Tour route: The entire scenic area has four main attractions, with a tour duration of approximately two hours.
oNiuheliang Culture Exhibition Center: This center features a special exhibition in memory of Mr. Su Bingqi, a leading figure in Chinese archaeology.
oNiuheliang Site Museum: The goddess head (replica) is a very important exhibit, made of yellow mud mixed with grass and chaff. The sculpture is highly realistic. The museum also displays numerous jade artifacts, reflecting the craftsmanship and aesthetic level of the ancient people. The originals are kept in the Liaoning Archaeological Museum and are not on display.
oNiuheliang Site No. 1: A large platform complex consisting of 9 platforms. The Goddess Temple is located on platform No. 9, which is the earliest prehistoric temple site discovered in China. The temple unearthed a goddess head, which is considered the "common ancestor of the Chinese nation". The tour guide explained that due to current protection limitations, the Goddess Temple has not been fully excavated.
oNiuheliang Site No. 2: A large number of stone mounds are distributed here, and precious jade artifacts such as the Jade Pig Dragon have been unearthed. The central tomb in Tomb No. 2 is one of the highest-ranking tombs discovered at Niuheliang so far. Altar No. 3: Surrounded by standing stones, the three circles of standing stones rise in height from inside to outside. The Hongshan Culture, centered on the large-scale altar, temple and tomb complex at Niuheliang, is a symbol of the five-thousand-year civilization of China and also provides concrete evidence for the "direct root system" of ancient Chinese culture.
•Entrance fee: 60 yuan, half price for students.
•Opening hours: 09:00-16:00, last entry at 16:00.
•Note: There is no food available in the entire scenic area, so it is recommended to bring your own.