Archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City

The Archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City are the remains of a late Neolithic urban centre in Zhejiang province, China, associated with the Liangzhu culture (c.3300-2300 BCE). The site is recognised for its large-scale earthworks and organised layout from the Neolithic period.

Excavated features include rammed-earth walls and ditches, raised platforms, a planned drainage and canal network and large burial complexes; archaeological teams have recovered extensive jade, pottery and other craft assemblages. The site provides direct evidence of early urban planning and social differentiation in the Yangtze River delta.

Archaeological investigation in the 20th and 21st centuries has mapped the settlement layout and funerary areas and documented the sophisticated water-management works. Research there has contributed to understanding the development of complex societies in eastern China.

The ruins are located in Zhejiang province in the Yangtze River Delta region of eastern China, within the modern administrative area of Hangzhou/Jiaxing; the site lies inland from the Zhejiang coast.

• World Heritage: Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019 for its exceptional evidence of early urbanisation and hydraulic engineering in the Yangtze delta.
• Age and artifacts: Dates to the late Neolithic Liangzhu culture, broadly c.3300-2300 BCE, and is noted for finely worked jade artifacts.

What to See #

• City core: The central urban core where the rammed-earth city walls, drainage channels and large platform structures were constructed during the late Neolithic Liangzhu culture.
• Ritual and tomb complex: Clusters of elite burials and ritual features where monumental tombs and jade grave goods associated with high-status individuals were deposited between c.3300 and 2300 BCE.