An aerial photo of the Dawenkou National Archaeological Site Park in Tai'an, Shandong. [Photo/WeChat account: SDTXTA]

As visitors enter the Dawenkou Site Museum in Tai'an, East China's Shandong province, they find 6,000-year-old pottery and jade quietly resting in glass cases, narrating the ancient stories and glory of early Chinese civilization.

Since opening in February 2023, the Dawenkou Site Museum has welcomed nearly 268,000 visitors, including about 28,000 students on study tours. The museum, part of the Dawenkou National Archaeological Site Park, now offers free admission and serves as a cultural education hub in Shandong.

The Dawenkou site, discovered during railway construction in 1959, has yielded 133 Neolithic graves and artifacts like pottery, jade, and bone tools. These finds pushed back the known history of East China by 1,500 years, providing evidence for a 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization. The culture, centered around the Taishan and Yishan mountains, spanned over 200,000 square kilometers across Shandong, as well as parts of Jiangsu, Anhui, and Henan provinces.

The Painted Pottery Stemmed Bowl with Eight-pointed Stars, a vessel from the Neolithic period, is housed in the Dawenkou Site Museum. [Photo/Dazhong News]

The Dawenkou culture's achievements include advanced jade and bone craftsmanship and sophisticated pottery-making techniques. White pottery and intricate painted designs highlight their artistic prowess. Modern inheritors like Tang Binjie and Wang Yanhua continue this legacy through handicrafts and digital media, promoting cultural heritage both locally and globally.

The museum and site not only preserve history but also engage the public, fostering a deeper understanding of China's ancient civilization and its ongoing influence.