The Neolithic period began in China about 12,000 B.C.
However, good evidence of Neolithic settlements exists from only about 4,000
B.C. The Neolithic lasted until about 2,000 B.C. It is defined by a spread of
settled agricultural communities, but hunting and gathering was still
practiced. The largest concentration of agriculture was below the southern bend
of the Yellow River and millet was the main crop. The geography of Neolithic
China was different from today. It was much wetter, with most of Northern China
being lakes and marshes and central China covered in an enormous lake. The
climate was warm and moist, rather than the colder, arid China of today. The
mountains were well forested and there was a variety of animals.
Silk production, for which China is famous, had
already been invented before this time period began. The process began in
Northern China. It involved feeding the silkworms mulberry leaves, helping them
molt and spin their cocoons, and finally, boiling the cocoons to produce the
raw silk. Pottery was also present during this time period. The two main types,
Painted Pottery and Black Pottery, belong to the two distinct cultural groups
of the Neolithic, the Yangshao and the Lungshan. These two types of pottery
were not for everyday use, rather, a plain course type of pottery was used that
varied between the colors gray, black, red, and white. The dwellings of this
time were in clusters that suggest kinship was important. Clothing was made of
hemp and the main domesticated animals were pigs and dogs.
The Yangshao lived in the mountainous regions of
northern and western China in round or rectangular houses that were below
ground level and surrounded by little walls of earth. They created Painted
Pottery that had geometric designs on it. The pottery was fired at
1000-1500°C, but the potters wheel was not used. Axes and arrowheads were
made of polished stone and other tools were made of stone chips. Millet was the
main crop of the Yangshao. They domesticated two main animals, the dog and the
pig, with the pig being the more important.
The Lungshan lived on the plains of eastern China.
Their villages were similar to those of the Yangshao, but evidence of stamped
earth fortresses is found in some sites. They created Black Pottery. This
pottery was of exceptional quality. It had a polished exterior, was never
painted, and is almost always without decoration. This pottery may have been a
direct predecessor to later Chinese pottery, as the forms of the vessels are
typical of Chinese pottery. Firing bones for the purpose of divination, which
continued into the following dynasties, also began during this time. The
Lungshan began to bury their dead facing downwards, which is how all bodies
were buried during the Bronze Age. They used bones for arrowheads and small
tools, but used polished stones for axes and sickles. Their domesticated
animals were the pig, dog, sheep, and ox.
Dynasties of Ancient China
Images of pottery courtesy of ART123.com