Banpo museum: a collection of prehistoric culture

The view of Banpo people working in a field with a backdrop illustrating the places where they lived.[Photo by Li Hongrui/chinadaily.com.cn]

In 1952, the Banpo archaeology site was discovered in a village in Shaanxi. The discovery of the Neolithic settlements were carbon dated to 5,600-6,700 years ago. The site belonged to the Yangshao culture, who lived in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in the New Stone Age.

The Banpo Museum was built at the archaeological site and was the first museum in China to especially focus on a collection of prehistoric cultural relics.

Among the 30,000 pieces in the museum were three types of representative relics: basins decorated with human faces and fish or just fish, and jars shaped like ancient amphoras, with pointed bases.