Lingjiatan Site Museum Photo: Courtesy of National Cultural Heritage Administration

The Lingjiatan Site Museum in Ma'anshan city, East China's Anhui Province will open for trial operations on May 16, providing the public with a new perspective on the origin, formation, and early development of Chinese civilization, according to a press conference held by the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) in Beijing on Friday.

The opening of the museum marks a milestone in the broader initiative to trace the origins of Chinese civilization and in the nationwide efforts to protect and utilise archaeological sites. It's also a new phase in the development in the Lingjiatan relics site, Zhang Ling, deputy director of the archaeology department of NCHA, told the Global Times.

Located in Hanshan county of Ma'anshan city, the Lingjiatan relics site is a Neolithic settlement dating back 5,300 to 5,800 years.

Since its discovery in 1985, Lingjiatan has been famous for the jade artifacts unearthed in previous excavations. The findings at Lingjiatan are considered to provide significant materials for in-depth study of the origin, formation, and development of the Chinese civilization, according to the press conference.

The museum's exhibition hall spans approximately 4,000 square meters and features around 1,100 cultural relics, including pottery, jade artifacts, stone tools, and bone items. About 110 of these items are being displayed to the public for the first time, Ge Bin, mayor of Ma'anshan city, told the Global Times. 

Highlighted exhibits include a double-sided round-carved jade dragon with connected ends, a jade eagle engraved with an octagonal star pattern and ritual-related items such as a jade turtle, jade tablet, and jade pig.

In addition to appreciating the artistic beauty of the artifacts, visitors can also engage in virtual dialogue with the ancient past, experiencing the depth and richness of these relics and archaeological achievements with digital technologies including virtual reality devices, said Ge. 

A series of discoveries and studies has confirmed in its middle to late phases, and Lingjiatan was the largest central settlement of its era in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Wu Weihong, the second head of the Lingjiatan archaeological excavation team, told the Global Times.

It exhibited clear signs of wealth disparity and social stratification, supported by a highly developed high-end handicraft industry characterized by jade and stone artifact production. Thus, Lingjiatan can be regarded as one of the pioneers of Chinese civilization, said Wu. 

The exhibition provides a vivid portrayal of ancient social life, revealing the realities of prehistoric human history and restoring the continuity of the site's past and future significance. From multiple perspectives, it highlights Lingjiatan's remarkable achievements in politics, economy, culture, and society. This approach might hold innovative and exemplary value among archaeological site museums in China, Wu noted. 

"Next, we will promote the application of Lingjiatan relics site for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List," he said.

In addition to preserving and researching cultural relics, the local authorities also unveiled their efforts in leveraging the cultural relics while promoting the integrated development of culture and tourism, such as designing cultural and creative products of Lingjiatan, launching immersive live-action performances, and developing cultural tourism routes centered around the museum.

According to the press conference, the museum will become part of a large-scale exhibition system that includes the local heritage monitoring center, cultural relics research center, and public archaeology center currently under construction, along with the already completed tomb and sacrificial area.