Wang, Jihuai (Archaeological Institute of China, Academy of Social Sciences, 27 Wangfujing St., Beijing, PR CHINA. Agricultural Archaeology 1987(1):71-75. Formatted by G.Leir; translated & edited by Elaine Wong & B. Gordon)

In the upper Yellow Basin, exceptionally rich and dense Late Neolithic Qijia agricultural sites trace their origin to Gansu and Qinghai Provinces. Since the 1924 discovery of Heqing's Qijia Square in Gansu Province, much enhanced research occurred from the 1950's to the 1980's.

Over several years, Gansu Province archaeologists found >300 widespread Qijia culture sites, including Tianshui, Wushan, Qinan, upper Wei River Longxi; Yellow River Linxia and Linyao; Jingshui Basin Pingliang, Jingchuan and Qingyang; Xihan Basin Xili; Hexi Corridor Wuwei; and Ningxia Province's Xijie Xinglong Township. Key excavations are Zuipin in Qinan County (1), Huangniangniang Terrace in Weiwei County (2), Dahe Village in Linxia County (3), Qinweijia (4) and Xinglong Township in Ningxia Province (4), Liuwan (Willow Bay) in Qinghai Province (6), Yue Village (under excavation) in Tianshui County (7), etc. All reveal the upper Yellow Basin Late Neolithic agricultural economy.

Qijia villages are on the loess plateau and broad western area of the upper Yellow River. Sites are also on the middle Yellow tributaries of the Daxia, Yao, Juli, Datong, Zhuanglang, etc. Long deposition resulted in 20-30 m high yellow soil terraces on the trapezoidal hills above the tributaries. Though the driest area since ancient times, humidity varied, with precipitation gradually rising in the Songorine Basin to 100-200 mm and Hexi and Alashan to 100 mm, while middle loess plateau precipitation is ca. 400 mm. Seasonal moisture also differs, often producing huge differences in warmth, directly affecting growth of crops and domestic herds.

Its water-retaining windy, sandy, ashy, nitrogenenous soil can be irrigated to form useful land for farming and livestock.

Fan-shaped accumulations in the middle N Tian foothills in N Songorine and Qaidamu Basins are brown fertile calcareous plains with 15-30 cm thick humus and an obvious strong alluvial calcium carbonate horizon. The brown calcareous earth formed basically from accumulated prairie soil humus and calcium. A dry mountain climate spectrum in the NW region developed traits favoring widespread arid agriculture (8).

While climate was extremely arid in the vast even, fine, loose and brittle aeolian loess, primitive cultivation grew (p.71) and ancient people prospered.

The resistant loess retaining its minerals and water allowed arid crops despite little rainfall, enabling ancient cultivation of some varieties of arid or semi-arid grain that were naturally selected over time.

Drought-resistant millet was preferred by upper Yellow River Early Neolithic Dadiwan and Yangshao cultures to Late Neolithic Qijia culture. As complex natural conditions and bountiful resources proved economic, human labor and wild and domesticated plants overcame soil limitations through vigorous propagation.

Complex Qijia agricultural tools of diverse stone, jade and bone were highly productive (>10 materials absent in other cultures); e.g., Qinghai's Lui Bay site's >20 stone types include marble, pyrophyllite, quartz, sandstone, serpentine, siltstone, phyllite, tuff, arenaceous rock, Anshan tuff, anhydrite, nephrite, iron jasper, etc. (9)

Primitive agricultural tools evolved, although widespread 7000 year-old finely polished highly functional standard shapes, edges and corners on agricultural axes, shovels, sickles and knives, and manufacturing adzes, chisels and single/dual awls, survived from the Neolithic to Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

While Qinweijia site has 14 stone & 1 bone shovel, bone shovels predominate in Dahe Village sites (20 stone & 67 bone). The thin wide flat triangular bone shovel on an animal palate or shoulder blade retains the original joint on its narrow end, its wide end ground to make the blade. Generally single-bladed (Figs. 5,6,7; Fig. 9 stone¹), some shovel upper sections are made into handles attached to a smooth polished body, their widespread use showing Qijia people achieved great progress in tool manufacturing, as bone shovels are easier to make and use than stone ones, with easy-to-obtain raw material of water-buffalo bone. Willow Tree Bay site had >20 types of stone, mainly via trade. Handles were easier to attach to bone tools and were more efficient.

The few pounders or hammers have distinct Qijia traits; e.g., unifacial thumbsized indentation for grasping. (Fig. 1:2).

The stone knife is the most common harvesting tool, uniform in shape, finely polished, (p.72) with central hole. Some blades are serrated; other are ca. 8 cm long (Fig. 1:4; Fig. 3:11).

Many linear, trapezoidal or shouldered stone axes have cortex and percussion marks, ground base and length ca. 15 cm (Fig. 1:1, 5; Fig. 8).

Much excavated millet grain also reflect agricultural growth; e.g., carbonized hollow grain in Dahe Village excavated pots F7, H1, M75.

Spinning, weaving and hunting tools are fastidiously made and finely crafted into various styles and shapes. Comparatively more stone and clay spindle whorls and bone needles are in Qijia sites. Dahe Village M34 and M75 are fabric-impressed big dual-handled pots; e.g., a well-preserved one has 11 horizontal lines/cm², its density like modern linen (Fig. 4:10), showing Qijia textiles achieved high levels.

1. Cultural enlightenment

Qijia people improved their tools and methods, achieving unprecedented growth because theirs was the last stage of primitive society, a base for class society and disintegration of primitive commune society in the NW.

Qijia copper denotes the dawn of metallurgy; e.g.s, 6 awl, axe, ring and ornament fragments at Qinweijia (Fig. 2:2-3); dagger at Dahe Village; 31 knife, chisel, awl, etc., fragments at Huangniangniangtai (Fig. 1:3, Fig. 2:4,5). These smelted, cast and cold-tempered pieces display full understanding of metal properties. Copperware not only enhanced productivity, but opened the path to the Bronze Age.

Social progress and higher productivity enhanced division of labor, a phenomenon prominently displayed in burials; e.g., Willow Tree Bay graves have production tools, spindle whorls and ornaments placed according to gender beside the skeleton; males with knives, axes, chisels and adzes; females with stone and clay spindle whorls and ornaments. Male plowing and female weaving gradually replaced women as the main agricultural motivator.

A Huangniangniangtai co-burial with many jade and semi-precious stone discs about the male (M48 & M52) reflect male ruling status and authority, with women as male accessories. The foundation of this change was economic, "all surplus completely given to men, woman participating in spending but not sharing property". (10)

Male dominance rose quickly when agricultural production flourished with animal husbandry, establishing and consolidating patriarchy, especially obvious in Qijia burial.

Qijia livestock was unprecedented - horse, cow, sheep, chicken, dog and pig. (p.73) Pig and sheep lower palates became symbolic objects in burial ritual. Of 82 Qijia graves in Dahe Village site, 12 have pig bone and sheep lower palates; 36 in one grave; >10 bones in 5 graves. Of 138 Qinweijia graves, 46 have pig lower palates, one has 68 bones and 14 have >10 bones. Huangniangniangtai 4th excavation has 62 graves (10 empty), 14 with pig palates (one with 7) and another with a sheep skull (M63).

Pig and sheep palates were in all graves. Besides Dahe Village child's grave at M36 site, the rest were all adults or adult and child. Dahe Village and Qinweijia burial reports show 194 pig, 56 sheep and 6 ox bones, but Qinweijia graves have 430 pig, 50 sheep and 38 ox bones. Fewer graves have dog and horse bones.

Many bone tools also occur; e.g., Huangniangniangtai site alone has 416, about half of all tools. Qijia culture emerged from Majiayao culture, motivated by enhanced productivity, technology and social transformation. We can say Qijia people expanded their living space more than Majiayao, spread across the upper Yellow River and its Yao, Huangshui & Daxia Basin branches, and upper Wei River, Hexi (West River) Corridor, and the Xihanshui (Western Han) Basin. Animal husbandry allowed them a settled life.

In the last stage of primitive society, agricultural growth and a stable life co-occur; i.e., greater production can only be built on lengthy stability, which exists in dwellings, powerful testimony of settled life.

Qijia living quarters remain semi-subterranean but surpass earlier ones, essentially rounded squares (Fig. 2:1). Floors and walls have a 0.1-0.3 cm lime appliqué, while a central round hearth has a white ash surface over a round-bottomed cooking pit, some lined with lime. House distribution, construction and accumulated debris show lengthy hamlet occupation, its smallest area 30-40,000 sq. m. Better dwellings were on the river terrace, fully utilizing natural advantages to developing the dry loess plateau.

Pottery and agriculture were simultaneously progressive in Qijia culture. Pottery was coiled, some red pots being rough polished. Wheel use began and shapes diversify: bowls, ladles, dual-eared pots, wide-mouthed pots and >20 kinds of high-collared double-eared pots. Jia, ladle-shaped vessels, etc. were added in the later period, plus large jars for food storage.

Qijia economic growth significantly influenced primitive agriculture and animal husbandry. NW China Zhou and Zheng cultures relied on this foundation and developed class structure.

In conclusion, agricultural society must pass through stages in the history of human development. Without agriculture, civilization would not occur. This is the rhythm of historic growth.

(1) Gansu Qinan County Neolithic sites. Archaeology Communication 1958:5.

(2) Gansu Wuwei Huangniangniangtai site excavation report. Archaeology Journal 1960:2. Wuwei Huangniangniangtai site 4th excavation. Archaeology Journal 1978:4.

(3) Gansu Yong Jing Dahe Village site excavation report. Archaeology Journal 1974:2.

(4) Gansu Yong Jing Qinweijia Qijia grave. Archaeology Journal 1975 (2):74.

(5) Ningxia Xiji Xinglong in Qijia site. Archaeology 1964 (5).

(6) Chinese Acad. of Social Sciences, Inst. of Archaeology compilation: Qinghailiu Bay. Cultural Features Publishing House Archaeology Memoir 28.

(7) Is Shizhao Village a sacrificial tributary site? It is on the N riverbank 7 km of Tianshui City. Cultures in its 800x500 m N-S area are Early Neolithic, Majiayao, Qijia and early Western Zhou Dynasty. Chinese Acad. of Social Sciences, Inst. of Archaeology excavation began in 1981 and is continuous - conclusions.

(8) Reference compilation - China Physical Geography Summary. Commercial Press 1979.

(9) see Qinghailiu Bay Qijia one.

(10) Marx & Engels Anthology (4):158.

Fig. 1

1. Stone axe (Huangniangniangtai H3)

2. Percussed stone (Dahe Village Village Td:28 TF:8)

3. Copper knife (Huangniangniangtai AT3:2)

4. Stone knife (Qinweijia H18:1)

5. Stone axe (Liuwan M963:6)

Fig. 2

l. House plan (Shizhao Village F26, 1:40)

2. Copper awl (Qinweijia T6:2)

3. Copper axe (Qinweijia H72:1)

4, 5. Copper knife (Huangniangniangtai T17:5, T18:6) (p.75).

Fig 1