The discovery at Doushan offers profound insights into the Majiabang culture, which has long been considered the source of the Jiangnan culture that originated in the southern areas of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, mainly in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, and Shanghai.
The scale and complexity of the fortifications suggest a level of social organization and communal effort not previously attributed to this period. It offers crucial new evidence for the country's national project to trace the origins of Chinese civilization.
"For us to reevaluate and understand the productivity level and social development of the Majiabang period, this is very good evidence," Zhou says.
The work is far from over. As archaeologists continue their work, they aim to determine the full layout of the outer wall and the exact timeline of the city's rise and fall.
Cang Wei contributed to this story.
