On February 27, the preliminary selection results of the 2022 Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries in China were announced. The Hanshan Lingjiatan relic site was shortlisted for the final selection, which is the only project in Anhui that was shortlisted.

From 2020 to 2022, the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology carried out excavations on the Lingjiatan relic site, and more than 200 artifacts were unearthed, including the largest stone axe, the largest jade Huang (a kind of semi-annular jade pendant), and dragon-head-shaped jade objects in the Neolithic Age in China. This is of great significance to studying China's prehistoric system using jade and ancient ritual systems.

As one of the five regional central settlements in the Yangtze River Basin, the Lingjiatan relic site has been included in the "Chinese Civilization Exploration Research" project and the "Archaeology in China: Research on the Regional Civilization Model of the Lower Yangtze River" project.

Since Lingjiatan National Archaeological Relic Site Park was established in 2013, more than ten cultural relics protection and display projects have been implemented. Supporting facilities such as tourist service centers and research and travel bases have also been built. The preservation status of the site has been effectively improved, and the culture has been effectively displayed.

Reported by Jin Wenjing, Zhang Lixiang

Edited and translated by Zheng Chen