China is known to introduce the world with the art of calligraphy, silk-making, and much more. A recent research has revealed that it probably still has preserved the world’s oldest paddies.
A report by Beijing-owned media company CGTN has claimed that Chinese archaeologists have found paddy fields dating back to 6,300 years at Yuyao city of east China’s Zhejiang Province. The announcement was made last week by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Ningbo Cultural Heritage Management Research Institute.
Archaeologists have found the ancient fields covering an area of about 9,00,000 square meters, according to preliminary research. However only 7,000 square meters of land has been excavated so far. The site is about 7.5 kilometres away from the historical area of Hemudu and was unearthed in the Shi’ao ruins.
With this discovery, archaeologists will gain an all new insight into the prehistoric society along the Yangtze River. CGTN quoted Wang Yonglei, a researcher with the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, saying that in the past, archaeologists had found some smaller ancient paddy fields in the same area but did not have enough evidence. Wang is also in charge of the on-site archaeological excavation at the Shi’ao site.
The large rice paddies are constructed in an organised pattern and are linked to the ancient Hemudu culture. The ancient settlement at Hemudu was known for its substantial dependence on rice production (6500–5500 BP). The site is located on the south side of Hangzhou Bay closest to Shanghai. The settlement was constructed in a wet area with wood-frame houses built on pilings to keep floors dry. With the abundance of water, the cultivation of rice was possible in the ancient period. The settlement also had animals like dogs, pigs and water buffalo.
The rice paddies are the largest and oldest large-scale ancient paddy field in the world. The CGTN report also mentioned that archaeologists found paddies dating back to 2,900-2,500 BC in a checkerboard type, with some complete with roads and irrigation systems.
These paddies go back to the era of Liangzhu Culture which was known for its jade, silk, ivory and lacquer artifacts.
The recent discovery of the massive paddy sites suggests that rice farming was already a major economic activity in early Chinese cultures like Hemudu and Liangzhu. The report quoted Wang as saying that they have discovered five prehistoric human village sites in an area of one square kilometre around the rice fields. Wang noted that fields were likely farmed by villagers nearby.
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