The 4th Biennial Conference of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS) held recently has once again brought the world's attention to Hangzhou. More than 300 scholars from over 200 top universities worldwide visited the Liangzhu relic sites in northwest Hangzhou to see the "Dawn of Civilization."
'Dawn of Civilization'
Scholars watching the Jade Cong at the Liangzhu museum in Hangzhou, China. /VCG Photo
Represented by black pottery and polished jade, Liangzhu culture, which is about 5,300-4,500 years far from today, is described as the "Dawn of Civilization" with its uniqueness and special importance in the history of human civilization.
In the 1980s, archaeological excavations have made incredible achievements. The Liangzhu site is placed under provincial priority protected units.
It's called the evidence of Chinese 5,000 years civilization with its top scale and level, and the Liangzhu Ancient City Site will be the only project that the Chinese government will declare to the UNESCO world heritage in 2019.
Polished jade accessories
Jade Cong of Liangzhu culture /VCG Photo
The Liangzhu museum, visited by the scholars, has always been committed to protecting Liangzhu culture. Here, people get a glimpse of the once glorious Liangzhu civilization, and those fascinating unearthed jade articles are the most distinctive features.
The jade articles excavated contain many shapes, such as Jade Cong, Jade Yue, coronal ware, jade bracelet, columnar jade and so on.
Among those jade articles, the status of Jade Cong is the most prominent. It's recorded in Zhouli that Jade Cong is the sacrificial vessel of the earth. In ancient China, there was a saying that "the sky is round and the earth is square." Therefore, Jade Cong is listed as one of the "six vessels" of traditional Chinese jade ritual vessels.
Jade Yue of Liangzhu culture /VCG Photo
The Liangzhu Relics has reflected a “Liangzhu spirit” with the features of origin, initiative, creation and pioneering, which is one of the most valuable parts of Chinese traditional culture.
In order to allow people to see the glorious culture of Liangzhu, a Liangzhu Archaeological Park is currently under construction.
"We introduced the model of 'National Archaeological Park of China' to show the civilization features and value connotation of Liangzhu by means of simulation restoration, sketch sculpture and digital demonstration," said Chen Shoutian, deputy director of the Liangzhu Site Management Committee.
( Diao Mengna also contributed to the story.)