The Paper has learned that the Linping Yujiashan Archaeological Museum, the first archaeological museum in Zhejiang, is expected to open to the public in April this year. With the completion and commissioning of the archaeological museum, there will be a large number of cultural relics on display in three theme exhibition halls: the Linping Ruins Group, the Maoshan Ruins, and the Yujiashan Ruins. In the future, the Yujiashan Archaeological Site will change from an archaeological site to an important base for people to walk into ancient history and experience the long-standing cultural context.

A bird's-eye view of the Yujiashan Archaeological Museum

The Yujiashan Archaeological Site is located in the Linping Economic and Technological Development Zone of Hangzhou, about 20 kilometers away from the Liangzhu Ancient City Site. More than 8,000 cultural relics have been unearthed, and it was selected as one of the "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China" in 2011. The Yujiashan Archaeological Museum covers an area of about 27 acres and a total construction area of about 25,000 square meters. After completion, it mainly exhibits archaeological excavation and research results such as the Linping Site Group, Maoshan Site, and Yujiashan Site. Echoing the Yujiashan Site Park, the museum cleverly uses the "mountain shape" as its intention. Its uneven roofs and large open stone curtain walls create a modern and high-end aesthetic.

Panoramic rendering of Yujiashan Archaeological Museum

Panoramic rendering of Yujiashan Archaeological Museum

The Yujiashan site is a Neolithic site, a complete Liangzhu culture settlement site consisting of six adjacent moats, with a total area of about 150,000 square meters. Since 2008, the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has conducted excavations many times. Although the entire site has not been fully excavated, tombs and architectural remains from early to late have been found in each moat, indicating that these moats should have existed at the same time. In terms of the plane layout, moats II to VI form a embracing trend around moat II, which reflects the important position of moat I in the entire settlement from the relative position, site area, tomb level and number, etc. The moated settlement phenomenon composed of multiple moats at the Yujiashan site provides new materials and perspectives for studying the social organization structure of the Liangzhu culture, its population size, and the hierarchical differences within and between clans.

Yujiashan Site

The excavation of the Yujiashan site discovered for the first time a moated settlement consisting of multiple moats. This settlement model is not only the first discovery of Liangzhu culture, but also a new discovery in prehistoric archaeology in the Yangtze River Basin and a new breakthrough in field archaeology. It has important reference significance for archaeological work in this region and after the Liangzhu culture.

The Yujiashan site appeared earlier than the Liangzhu ancient city site. Its giant moat spans the early, middle and late periods of the Liangzhu culture. It is the only site discovered by archaeologists that spans the millennium-long rise and fall of the Liangzhu civilization.

A jade bi with carved symbols from the Liangzhu period unearthed from Yujia Mountain. Photo courtesy of Linping District

A jade bi with carved symbols from the Liangzhu period unearthed from Yujia Mountain. Photo courtesy of Linping District

The Liangzhu period was also the period when the most artifacts with carved symbols were unearthed from prehistoric civilization. Now the academic community tends to believe that these carved symbols are a kind of primitive writing. Among the more than 8,000 artifacts unearthed from Yujia Mountain, there is a precious jade bi with carved symbols, which is currently on display at the Linping China Jiangnan Water Village Museum. Two tombs of nobles unearthed in Linping are also on display here. The artifacts include jade cong, jade bi, jade yue, jade trident-shaped objects, etc., and the level and specifications are comparable to those of the Fanshan Royal Tomb and the Yaoshan Site.

Yujiashan Archaeological Site Park

Yujiashan Archaeological Site Park and the Archaeological Museum are about 50 meters apart, connecting a unique experience space with the presentation of "real objects + real scenes". The Yujiashan Archaeological Museum base is located in the southwest corner of the Archaeological Site Park. The plot is triangular, close to the city road, facing Xinghe Road to the east, Xingzhong Road to the west, and facing Yujiashan No. 1 moat to the north. It is the first archaeological museum in Zhejiang Province.

Aerial view of Yujiashan Museum

The design concept of the Archaeological Museum is "using jade as a medium and the frame as a mountain". The "mountain shape" is the intention, and the traditional "frame" of wooden structure buildings is the spatial prototype. The building is dissolved into several juxtaposed exhibition spaces in the east-west direction. Through the landscape-style architectural layout, different types of "frame" spaces are created, the museum space is innovated, and a good spatial experience is organized and provided.

Central Hall

Outdoor Exhibition Area

A rice field landscape is set up in the archaeological site park, which allows the archaeological museum to be more naturally integrated into the archaeological site park, which is in line with the rice-growing tradition of Liangzhu culture.

View of the moat from the roof

Yujiashan has concluded 12 years of archaeological excavation work. With the subsequent completion and commissioning of the archaeological museum, there will be a large number of cultural relics on display in three theme exhibition halls: Linping Ruins Group, Maoshan Ruins, and Yujiashan Ruins. In the future, this will change from an archaeological site to an important base for people to walk into ancient history, feel the long cultural context, and sublimate their thoughts.

(This article is compiled from Linping Release, Chao News, Chengshi Interactive, etc.)