The Yujiashan Archaeological Museum Photo: Chen Zhongqiu
By Zhu Jingning
While many have visited the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City and its museum, few realize that the largest numbers of Liangzhu-period artifacts come from the Yujiashan Site--a “minor kingdom” of early Liangzhu society, highly likely characterized by its matriarchal structure. The Yujiashan Archaeological Museum, Zhejiang’s first museum dedicated to archaeological discoveries, will officially open to the public on May 18.
Located in Linping district in Hangzhou, approximately 20 kilometers east of the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, the museum spans over 25,000 square meters. The project was built with a total investment of 660 million yuan.
The museum features exhibition display, research and study experience, cultural and creative exchange, and other functional areas. At the same time, it retains and presents important archaeological discoveries such as the settlement moat, tombs, and ash pits at the Yujiashan Site. It is a specialized museum dedicated to collecting, displaying, educating, and researching the settlement patterns of the Liangzhu Culture period.
“Game of Thrones” in Liangzhu period
In Oct 2008, a joint rescue excavation by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics &Archaeology and the China Jiangnan Water Town Culture Museum uncovered a complete Liangzhu settlement at the Yujiashan Site. The site features six interconnected moat-surrounded enclosures--a groundbreaking discovery in Liangzhu archaeology, covering an area equivalent to 21 football fields.
The excavation revealed 645 Neolithic tombs, over 30 ash pits, 11 architectural remnants, and more than 8,000 artifacts, including pottery, stone tools, and jade objects. It is a Liangzhu culture site with the largest number of single-site excavated tombs and the most complete chronological sequence of Liangzhu culture ever discovered.
Tomb 200, the highest-ranking burial at the site, belongs to a female noble--the earliest-known elite woman of such status in northern Zhejiang after the Yaoshan discoveries. Nearby Maoshan Site has unearthed over 4,000 artifacts, including a 5,000-year-old dugout canoe, along with Liangzhu-era rice paddies and irrigation systems.
Predating the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, the Yujiashan’s massive moat system spans the entire developmental timeline of Liangzhu culture (early, middle, and late periods), making it the only site to chronicle the full millennium-long trajectory of Liangzhu civilization.
The Liangzhu period also produced the most prehistoric artifacts engraved with symbolic markings, which scholars increasingly interpret as a primitive script. Among the Yujiashan’s artifacts is a rare jade bi (ritual disc) engraved with such symbols. The artifacts from two elite burials here featuring jade cong (tubes), yue (axes) and trident-shaped ornaments--match the prestige of those from Fanshan Royal Cemetery and Yaoshan discoveries.
A new cultural landmark in Linping
Recognized as one of China’s “Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2011”, the Yujiashan archaeological discoveries will be unveiled with architectural arts and cultural inheritance at the museum’s grand opening at 12:00 p.m. on May 18.
The museum complex harmonizes with its surroundings through geometric cut-out designs and low-saturation Morandi-toned walls. Its facade employs natural travertine stone for minimalist elegance. Inspired by the concept of “jade as medium and structure as mountain”, the innovative layout reinterprets traditional wooden joint structural systems into parallel exhibition spaces. Interior rice field landscapes seamlessly integrate the museum with the archaeological park, echoing Liangzhu’s agricultural legacy.
Millennia-old artifacts await
The museum features three permanent exhibition halls:
Linping Site Cluster Hall: it is where you can explore the region’s natural environment, prehistoric development, key burials, and ritual jades.
Maoshan Site Hall: it traces the site’s evolution through Majiabang, Songze, Liangzhu, and Guangfulin cultures, highlighting its rice cultivation heritage.
Yujiashan Site Hall: it details the site’s ecology, moat development, burial customs, and jade craftsmanship.
The museum displays over 1,800 cultural relics, many of which are unique pieces. For instance, there is the double-cylinder jade cong unearthed from the Hengshan Site and the engraved symbol jade bi from the Yujiashan Site.
Another highlight of the museum is its proximity to the site park. As visitors enter the museum, they will encounter the rice fields and jade wares from thousands of years ago. After the visit, they can also extend their experience with a tour of the actual site park, making connections in space, emotion, and knowledge.
For more immersive experiences bridging past and present, please stay tuned with the Yujiashan Archaeological Museum as a storyteller.
Location: No. 100, Lvzhou Road, Donghu Sub-district, Linping District, Hangzhou
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 - 17:00. The last entry is at 16:30. Open on public holidays, but closed on Mondays. (However on May 19, 2025 which is a Monday, it will be open to the public).