| Longshan Culture represents a | | | | wall marked the emergence of city that |
| civilization in which both stone and | | | | heralded the coming of a new era in |
| bronze tools were in application. It was | | | | which human civilization underwent mass |
| first discovered at Longshan town of | | | | production. Originally, the word wall |
| Zhangqiu City in Shandong Province, | | | | stands for the word city. |
| hence its name. Its influence mainly | | | | The Longshan culture |
| spread out in the middle and lower | | | | (Chinese:é¾å±±æ-å- Pinyin: |
| reaches of the Yellow River about 4,350 | | | | longshanwenhua) was a late Neolithic |
| to 3,950 years ago. During the time of | | | | culture centered on the central and |
| Longshan Culture, people were organized | | | | lower Yellow River in China. Longshan |
| in patriarchal clan community. In | | | | culture is named after Longshan, |
| pottery making, they widely adopted the | | | | Shandong Province, the first excavated |
| use of potter wheel. Painted potteries | | | | site of this culture. It is dated from |
| gave way to black ones. The black | | | | about 3000 BCE to 2000 BCE. |
| earthenwares were carefully polished for | | | | The distinctive feature of Longshan |
| much finer quality, some objects even | | | | culture was the high level of skill in |
| had the outer walls made as thin as | | | | pottery making, including the use of |
| eggshell. Longshan Culture, with the | | | | pottery wheels. Longshan culture was |
| highest level of pottery making in | | | | noted for its highly polished black |
| Chinese history, is also known as Black | | | | pottery (or egg-shell pottery) and is |
| Pottery Culture. At the same time, | | | | often referred to as the 'Black Pottery |
| bronze forge appeared. There are two | | | | Culture' for this reason. |
| pieces of bronze prick unearthed at | | | | Life during the Longshan culture marked |
| Sanlihe village, in Jiaoxian County of | | | | a transition to the establishment of |
| Shandong Province, which remained from | | | | cities, as rammed earth walls and moats |
| this transitional period between Stone | | | | began to appear, the site at Taosi (é |
| Age and Bronze Age. In aspect of | | | | (TM) ¶å¯º)being its largest walled |
| construction, on the site of Longshan | | | | settlement. Rice cultivation was clearly |
| town, there found ruins of an earth | | | | established by that time. |
| platform, rectangular in shape. It was | | | | The Neolithic population in China |
| made of layers of compact earth. This | | | | reached its peak during the Longshan |
| kind of architectural technique | | | | culture. Toward the end of the Longshan |
| prevailed during Shang Dynasty (16th | | | | culture, the population decreased |
| B.C-11th B.C.). Furthermore, defensive | | | | sharply; this was matched by the |
| works was built up in ground structure, | | | | disappearance of high-quality black |
| evolving from oldest big moat | | | | pottery found in ritual burials. |
| underground. A large number of walls of | | | | Early studies indicated that the |
| rammed-earth walls came into being. | | | | Longshan and Yangshao cultures were one |
| Around Shandong Province, more than ten | | | | in the same. It is now widely accepted |
| vestiges of ancient walls were | | | | that the Longshan culture is in fact a |
| discovered. Among them, there are seven | | | | later development of the Yangshao |
| walls densely located together, forming | | | | (ä»°é¶æ-å-)culture. |
| into wall complex. The appearance of | | | | |