Yunhe County Museum in Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Over the past five years, Lishui, Zhejiang province, has carried out 40 archaeological excavation projects, unearthing over 6,000 artifacts.

Through systematic surveys and targeted excavations, a preliminary cultural timeline from the Neolithic to the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c.16th century-256 BC) has been established.

In Yunhe county, major discoveries have significantly expanded our understanding of the region, breaking long‑standing limitations and filling many gaps in the cultural records of the Oujiang River basin.

The Xiaoxiongshan site in Qingyuan county, identified as the southernmost known central settlement of the Haochuan culture and the first pre‑Qin (221-206 BC) site confirmed in Qingyuan, has completed construction of its exhibition hall and the backfilling work for in‑situ preservation.

The hall, covering about 3,500 square meters, is designed as a heritage park integrating cultural tourism, educational studies and commercial activities while serving both historical preservation and community life.

In addition, Lishui, in cooperation with the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, conducted a comprehensive survey of southwestern Zhejiang, discovering over 900 pre‑Qin sites and focusing on key excavations at Huangshangshan, Xianshengwan, Dushan, Xiaoxiongshan and Lanshantou.

In October 2025, an academic symposium on pre‑Qin archaeology involving southwestern Zhejiang, northern Fujian and eastern Jiangxi was held in Yunhe, reaching multiple consensuses. In the same month, the first county‑level archaeological workstation in southwestern Zhejiang was established in Yunhe.