Qingliangang

Refers to a Neolithic Chinese culture and period named after an archaeological site in Huai'an County, Jiangsu Province, China that was discovered in 1951. Broadly defined, Qingliangang spanned the period of ca. 4500 to ca. 2300 BCE and encompassed the entire coastal area from Shandong Province in the north to the border of Fujian Province in the south. It has also been more narrowly defined as spanning the period of ca. 4500 to ca. 3200 BCE and including only Shandong Province and the northern part of Jiangsu Province. The few Neolithic remains excavated at Qingliangang consist primarily of sophisticated stone tools, pottery vessels, and potsherds. Qingliangang pottery is predominantly redware although grey and black wares have also been found. Vessels include dishes or basins of the pan and pen types, bowls of the bo types, tripods of the ding and li types, cups of the bei and dou types, and zeng steamers. Ornamental designs consist exclusively of simple geometric patterns, mostly made up of curved or straight parallel lines. The decoration is usually stamped and painted; incision and appliqué are also used.