Liangzhu Ancient City: Dive into the 5,000-year-old history of Chinese civilization

On July 6, 2019, the archeological ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou, east China'a Zhejiang Province, was listed as World Heritage at the 43rd UNESCO World Heritage Conference held in Azerbaijan. Liangzhu culture dates back to 5,300 to 4,300 years ago.

In 2020, Hangzhou designated July 6 Hangzhou Liangzhu Day to promote more interest and understanding toward the ancient site and culture. To celebrate the 5th Liangzhu Day, a series of activities were scheduled during July 6 to 12, including various exhibitions and seminars. Admission to Liangzhu relic site is free during this period.

On July 6, a special event themed "Liangzhu and the World – Dialogue between Chinese and Western civilization" was held to link different world heritage sites around the globe with the Liangzhu Ruins and to promote more sharing of experiences between experts and scholars dedicated to study heritage protection in different countries.

The old city Toledo in Spain is featured at this year's event, where dialogues and discussions took place among experts and scholars from China and Spain on the innovation and future of heritage protection. They also explored the profound cultural heritage and unique charm of the two sites. The Stonehenge in London and the Acropolis in Athens are also featured in previous events.

Among the ruins of Liangzhu City there is the City Site, the Peripheral Water Conservancy System and the socially-graded cemetery. It shows the epicenter of an early regional state in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. The site featured a rice-cultivating agriculture, social differentiation and hierarchy, and an early urban civilization.

The Peripheral Water Conservancy System is located in the northwest of Liangzhu's ancient city. It is the earliest large-scale water conservancy project known in China and the earliest dam in the world. The system covers an area of about 100 square kilometers and is made up of 11 artificial dams and natural spillways. The system was made with a solid structure and had a complex of functions to store water, control floods and irrigate the farmland. The height of the dam was maintained, showing that Liangzhu people can execute the construction efficiently.

There are more than 7,000 cultural relics on display at the museum located at the relic site. Delicate jade, lacquerware, stoneware and other items together draw a vivid picture for us about life at that time.

For more: Visit Liangzhu Ancient City in two minutes