Since 1958, especially since 1976, archaeologists have discovered many "Neolithic" manufacturing workshop sites more than 4,000 years ago at the eastern foot of Xiqiao Mountain in Guanshan, South China Sea. Later, more than 100 prehistoric cultural sites of human activities were discovered in the Pearl River Delta and some coastal islands. These include Xinhui, Zhongshan, Heshan, Gaoming, Panyu and Shiwan around Shunde. Unfortunately, Shunde, located in the hinterland of the Pearl River Delta, has not found any Neolithic cultural sites. For a long time, the age limit of archaeological discoveries in Shunde is only in the Spring and Autumn Period, and there is no trace of earlier history or human activities. It can be inferred that Shunde Plain was developed late, and Shunde may still be a Neolithic Wang Yang. However, some scholars and even Shunde people believe that there are no Neolithic cultural sites in Shunde, which does not mean that there are no Neolithic cultural sites in Shunde, but it has not been discovered yet.
Zhang Yongxi, a Shunde native who played an important role in the discovery of Mazugang cultural site, has been insisting on the latter view for nearly ten years. Archaeology is not his major, and before he retired, he was engaged in an industry completely unrelated to archaeology, so why did he insist on this view?
Zhang Yongxi said that eight years ago, he was hired to write a book reflecting the history and culture of Longjiang-A Millennium Review of Longjiang. In the process of compilation, a question "When did the history of Longjiang begin at the earliest" prompted him to take an interest in the early human history of Shunde. Through the materials, he learned that there were no Neolithic cultural sites in Shunde, and this question has been lingering in his mind. In 2004, Guangdong Province conducted the third cultural relics survey, and Zhang Yongxi was appointed as the head of the cultural relics survey working group in longjiang town. Taking this opportunity, he traveled all over Longjiang and got a comprehensive and detailed understanding of its topography. In 2005, he was entrusted to build the Pearl River Cultural Memorial Hall in Longjiang New Century Agricultural Park, from which he could fully understand the cultural origin of the Pearl River. During that time, he visited many museums and ancient cultural sites in Lingnan area, especially the cultural sites around Shunde.
After investigating many prehistoric cultural sites, Zhang Yongxi came to the conclusion that mountains and water were prerequisites for the survival of ancestors. Because the forest on the mountain is the source of means of production and living fuel; Fish can gather in the river bend for ancestors to fish and hunt; Secondly, mountain springs and streams can be drunk for generations (the Pearl River estuary was still a Wang Yang 4000 years ago, and the salty tide was injected into the inland river, so it was not drinkable); Furthermore, there are mounds and terraces facing north and south, which are warm in winter and cool in summer.
According to this conclusion, Zhang Yongxi found that several places in Longjiang, including a large area south of Dajinshan in the left beach of Longjiang, all have Neolithic cultural remains today, which have such conditions for human survival. Thus, a bold guess formed in Zhang Yongxi's mind: Longjiang may have cultural sites that prove Shunde's prehistoric human activities, and Longjiang may have been missed in past archaeological work.
A few days later, Feng Shunqiu, the stationmaster of Zhang Yongxi and Longjiang Cultural Station, was taken to the fish pond where the villagers found shells. When he saw it, it was one of the four key checkpoints. He picked up the shells on the ground and found that they were all shells of saltwater creatures. "At this time, I have a good idea," Zhang Yongxi said.
Since then, Zhang Yongxi and his colleagues have been to that place several times, and each time they are more confident. Luo Ruiqiang, deputy director of the District Cultural and Sports Bureau in charge of cultural relics work, and Ling Jian, director of the District Museum, also went to the scene after learning this information. They are also very excited after seeing it, and think that further exploration should be carried out to understand the situation.
When they told the news to the district and town leaders and experts, everyone was very excited. The dawn of the discovery of Shunde prehistoric human activity site is ahead. After full demonstration by experts from provinces, cities and districts, the leaders of relevant departments in Shunde District and longjiang town made a decision to conduct archaeological trial excavation in Mazugang.
"I have never dug so much in such a small place."
At the end of August this year, after the flood season in the south, the trial excavation project officially began. Deputy Director Qiu Licheng personally designated three archaeological pits, and authoritative archaeological experts in the province participated in the excavation.
Try to dig a little and deliver good news the next day. When digging 70 or 80 centimeters underground, the "baby" appeared. On the same day, more than 100 pieces of sand-filled pottery and some ground microliths were dug up in three pits. Digging 10 days, * * dug up more than 200 pieces of pottery pieces, stone tools and pottery net pendants.
An expert who participated in the excavation in the province said that so many things have never been dug up in such a small place (about 50 square meters), which shows that this is a site with high gold content.
A historical mystery that has puzzled experts and Shunde people for decades has finally been solved. Shunde people finally know that as early as 3500 years ago, our ancestors had already thrived on this land.