Haimenkou Neolithic Site in Jianchuan County, Dali

Haimenkou Site (海门口遗址), located by Jianhu Lake in Jianchuan County (剑川县), Yunnan, is China’s largest known waterfront stilt-style settlement. Dating from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, it’s the earliest Bronze Age site on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Covering about 238,000 square meters, the site has revealed many artifacts and ruins that help us understand prehistoric culture in Southwest China. Since 2013, it has been a nationally protected cultural heritage site.

History

In 1957, during the dredging and widening of Jianhu Lake’s outflow river by Jianchuan County Government, numerous ancient wooden piles and artifacts such as stone tools, bone tools, bronze objects, and many animal bones were discovered. In March of the same year, the Yunnan Provincial Museum conducted partial excavations, marking the discovery of the Haimenkou Site.

Further excavations were carried out in April 1978 and January-May 2008 by the Yunnan Provincial Museum and local cultural relics authorities to better understand the site’s distribution and cultural significance.

From October 2016 to January 2017, the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology cooperated with the Archaeology Department of Sichuan University for the fourth excavation.

Between October and December 2017, the fifth excavation was conducted by the same institutions.

In October-December 2018, the sixth excavation took place, uncovering an area of 1,190 square meters.

Site Features

Early Excavations

During the first three excavations (1957, 1978, 2008), within the 50,000-square-meter explored area, a dense cluster of wooden pile posts covered about 20,000 square meters. Ten clear cultural layers were identified, which divided the site into three main phases, establishing the archaeological cultural sequence around Jianhu Lake. Radiocarbon dating indicates the site dates between 3300 and 500 BCE.

Fourth Excavation

Between October 2016 and January 2017, cultural deposits up to 2.5 meters thick were found, with upper layers representing recent history and lower layers containing Bronze Age and earlier remains. Excavations revealed 123 ash pits, 24 ash ditches, 5 house foundations, 8 hearths, 1 road, and 2 tombs. House No. 1 is a sunken "凹"-shaped structure, 15.3 meters north-south by 7.5 meters east-west, likely from the Nanzhao or Dali period. Tombs were secondary burials from the Bronze Age, with one collective burial of about 18 individuals and one single burial accompanied by pottery and stone tools.

Fifth Excavation

Between October and December 2017, 27 tombs, 8 houses, 122 ash pits, 30 ash ditches, 2 hearths, 4 garbage heaps, 2 fire pits, and 1 road were excavated. Tombs fall into two phases with unique burial customs involving orderly arranged skulls and accompanying pottery vessels.

Sixth Excavation

In late 2018, the total site area was confirmed at about 238,000 square meters, with 93,000 square meters on the east river area and 145,000 square meters on the west river area. Stratigraphy shows multiple cultural layers from modern times down to the Late Neolithic, Bronze Age, and earlier, revealing distinct settlement patterns and architectural remains, including stilted buildings.

Cultural Relics

Excavations have uncovered over 3,000 artifacts including pottery, stone tools, bone and ivory implements, wooden objects, bronze and iron items, animal bones, and crop remains. Notable finds include finely made pottery with stamped and incised decorations, jade and bronze small tools, and a variety of agricultural remains reflecting complex prehistoric economies.

Research Findings

• Metal artifacts analysis shows advanced alloy knowledge and diversified production techniques from the Bronze Age, with iron objects dating to the Iron Age.
• Archaeobotanical studies reveal early evidence of wheat and barley cultivation, mixed rice and millet farming strategies dating back to around 1600 BCE, and shifts in crop dominance linked to climate adaptations.
• The site provides important data for understanding prehistoric agriculture, cultural diversity, and technological development in Southwest China.

Cultural Value

1. Haimenkou is the largest known waterfront stilts-style settlement in China and one of the largest worldwide, offering invaluable insights into prehistoric settlement types.
2. Its clear and continuous cultural layers span from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, filling gaps in the prehistoric cultural sequence of Southwest China.
3. The site reflects the diversity and complexity of prehistoric cultures in the region, aiding research on cultural interactions.
4. Agricultural remains prove the southern reach of millet farming from the Yellow River basin and provide new clues about ancient rice-wheat mixed farming.
5. Bronze artifacts confirm the site as the earliest Bronze Age site on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, marking the region as a key origin area for bronze culture and casting technology.

Protection Measures

• In 1986, the site was declared a key county-level cultural relics protection unit by Jianchuan County Government.
• In 2003, it was designated a key prefecture-level cultural relics protection unit by Dali Prefecture Government.
• On March 5, 2013, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

Honors

• In 2009, Haimenkou was recognized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage as one of the “Six Major Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2008” and among the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries Nationwide in 2008.”
• In 2016, it was selected as one of the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2015.”

Tourism Information

Location

Haimenkou Site is located at the southern outflow of Jianhu Lake, northwest of Haimenkou Village, Diannan Town (甸南镇), Jianchuan County (剑川县), Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.