The Pinnacle of Painted Pottery: Unveiling a Brilliant Chapter of Prehistoric Culture in the Upper Yellow River

In July 2021， Sichuan Daily all-media delved into 11 representative ancient sites and interviewed dozens of archaeologists. This book uses a large number of field visit materials to show the internal connection between Sanxingdui and other ancient sites， and uses a large number of archaeological excavation results to further confirm the pluralistic unity of Chinese civilisation.

In the spring of 1924， as the green trees of the northwest plateau sprouted and the fields grew fertile， Swedish archaeologist Andersson and his assistant left Lanzhou to conduct research along the Tao River. Near a place called Majiayao village， they discovered ancient cultural ruins dating back thousands of years. Subsequent studies by generations of archaeologists have made the Majiayao culture and Gansu painted pottery famous far and wide.

The Majiayao culture represents the late Neolithic period culture of the upper Yellow River， consisting of three types： Majiayao， Banshan， and Machang. In its early phase， it developed westward and southward from the central region of the Hehuang Basin， reaching northern Sichuan and influencing the later Sanxingdui and Jinsha cultures. In the middle to late period， it spread northward and westward， even reaching eastern Xinjiang.

Today， the Majiayao cultural site offers a retrospective view of history. It serves as a key that unlocks the door to the vibrant prehistoric culture of the upper Yellow River， not only outlining the brilliant painted pottery art of ancient times but also showcasing the tangible glory of the early civilizations that truly existed within the Chinese nation. This culture gradually spread westward， marking a transition from primitive hunting practices to settled agricultural societies， which laid the foundational signs of an emerging civilized society.

Lintao， located south of Lanzhou in Gansu， is where the Tao River flows northward into the Yellow River. On both banks of the Tao River， ancestors thrived about 5，000 years ago， creating the renowned Majiayao culture. A team from the Sichuan Daily’s all-media project， Searching for the Roots of 5，000 Years of Chinese Civilization： The Dialogue of Sanxingdui with Ancient Ruins， set out from Lin Tao County to visit the Majiayao site， tracing the “cultural codes” behind these ruins.

The vehicle traveled southwest for about 20 minutes before a stone tablet inscribed with “Majiayao Site” came into view. Led by Lang Shude， a consultant for the Prehistoric Site Expert Committee of the Chinese Museum Association， a member of the Gansu Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee， and a researcher at the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology， the interview team followed a small path beside the tablet up the hillside， where the view opened up dramatically. The Tao River meandered through the plains in the distance， flanked by the lush vegetation of the Bama Valley， providing a panoramic view of the Majiayao site. Pointing to the south， Lang Shude explained that the Majiayao site stretches from the Bamayu Valley in the south to the Qijia Valley in the north， from the edge of the second terrace on the west bank of the Tao River in the east to the slopes of Wajia Mountain in the west， covering an area of 600 to 1，200 meters east to west and about 1，400 meters north to south. The core area of the site is approximately 100，000 square meters. Nearly a century ago， Andersson discovered the Majiayao site at Bamayu Valley， unveiling a brilliant corner of a cultural treasure that had lain silent for thousands of years.

Today， the Majiayao site has been backfilled and quietly lies beneath fields of crops. The adjacent Bamayu Valley is verdant， resembling a lively green ribbon stretching between two mountains. The tranquil and ordinary rural scene makes it hard to imagine that a groundbreaking excavation took place here a century ago. However， people can revisit the “grand scene” of that time in Andersson’s book， Dragons and Foreign Devils： “As the guide led us step by step up the western slope， we were quite astonished. We climbed several hundred meters， and the fertile river valley fell far behind us， like a deep green ribbon; looking further， even more distant valleys unfolded before us—an experience I had never had before. We finally reached a high ground with an elevated terrain and an expansive view. In the mounds of earth， fragments of painted pottery were everywhere.”

The long-dormant Majiayao culture revealed a glimpse of its brilliant colors to Andersson， thrilling him immensely. In his subsequent publication， Gansu Archaeology， he summarized： “Gansu archaeology， lasting two years， covered nearly half of Gansu Province. The results obtained were quite beyond expectations.”

This “surprise” attracted the attention of many archaeologists in the years that followed. After Andersson， notable scholars such as Pei Wenzhong and Gu Xiegang made special trips to investigate the Majiayao site and other sites in the 1930s and 1940s. The renowned archaeologist Xia Nai named the Majiayao culture， and through generations of continuous research， the distribution of the Majiayao culture was gradually outlined. Its main distribution area is in central Gansu， centered on the Loess Plateau of Longxi， extending eastward to the upper reaches of the Weihe River and the Liupan Mountains， westward to the Hexi Corridor and the northeastern part of Qinghai Province， northward to the southern part of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， and southward to the northern areas of Sichuan， including Mao County and Wenchuan.

Because both cultures featured painted pottery and shared certain cultural similarities， the Majiayao culture seems to have been tied to the Yangshao culture from its inception， leading to ongoing debates about their relationship. Lang Shude mentioned that there are currently two main viewpoints： One posits that this is an independent， locally originated culture in central Gansu， which， during its development， was influenced by the Yangshao culture; the other viewpoint argues that the Majiayao culture developed from the Yangshao culture. “However， it is clear that the cultural elements of the Majiayao type found in the Hexi Corridor were inherited by the later Siba culture. Throughout the entire Bronze Age in Gansu， painted pottery has been continuously produced， and the Majiayao culture continues to exert an undeniable influence on later generations.”

Located in the Tao River basin， the Majiayao site boasts rich， yellowish soil. The river’s alluvial plain， the terraces formed by the river’s erosion， and the open， fertile hills and ridges create an ideal environment for agriculture， complemented by a warm climate.

Pointing to the distant Tao River， Lang Shude began to paint a vivid picture of ancient life. The settlement sites from the Majiayao culture period are mostly located on the Malan terrace along the banks of the Yellow River and its tributaries， near water sources with well-developed soil. Ancient ancestors lived by the river and engaged in agricultural planting. At the Dongxiang Linjia site in 1977， bundles of carbonized plants with stalks and ears were unearthed， commonly referred to by archaeologists as “millet” along with hemp seeds. In many large urns excavated from various sites， stored grains of millet were found. This suggests that millet and corn were the primary crops of the Majiayao ancestors， indicating that the prehistoric cultures of northern China included millet-based agricultural areas that spanned the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

Since 2014， the Northwest Working Team of the Institute of Archaeology， Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， has collaborated with the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology to conduct four archaeological excavations at the Majiayao site， uncovering an area of nearly 2，000 square meters. Numerous pottery shards， stone tools， bone implements， animal remains， and various house remains， as well as ash pits， drainage ditches， and pottery kilns， have been discovered here， providing more detailed evidence to depict the lives of ancient ancestors.

“Archaeologists also found a small number of exquisite fishing tools and stone balls in the area， indicating that the hunting and gathering activities during the Majiayao culture period were supplementary to their production，” Lang Shude noted. He also mentioned that primitive handicrafts during the Majiayao culture included stone tool manufacturing， weaving， and pottery. All these findings suggest that the ancestors of the Majiayao culture had transitioned from merely extracting resources from nature to a stage of productive management.

The increase in production levels led to a surplus of food. To store this food， the ancestors set up storage pits near their homes. However， the architectural style of these houses was quite different from today’s designs. Lang Shude explained that the houses of the Majiayao ancestors were predominantly semi-sunken structures， with some built on level ground. Partitioned houses were found at the Dongxiang Linjia and Yongdeng Jiangjiaping sites. “The shapes were rectangular， square， and circular， with rectangular houses being the most common. The area of rectangular and square houses generally ranged from 10 to 30 square meters， often featuring a circular fire pit near the center front， with a small square entrance path outside.” Circular houses are usually shallow， semi-subterranean pits with a fire pit near the entrance， and their reconstructed shape suggests a conical profile.

In addition， the cemeteries from the Majiayao culture period were located near the living areas， situated on higher hills than the site itself. Public cemeteries were common， mostly consisting of earthen pit graves， with rectangular， square， and circular shapes， predominantly rectangular. In the later stages， wooden coffins and other burial items were discovered. “Graves typically contained burial goods， including production tools， daily utensils， and ornaments， primarily pottery， with a few graves containing food and domesticated animals like pigs and dogs. The quantity and quality of these burial goods varied， with increasingly significant disparities over time—some graves contained over 100 items， while others had none at all. This growing wealth gap profoundly indicates the intensifying social stratification.”

For thousands of years， the flame of civilization has persisted here， as people lived by the river， engaging in herding and agriculture. Many mysteries of the Majiayao culture remain to be uncovered through further excavation.