What is the Neolithic period?

The Neolithic period, which began in China around 10,000 B.C. and concluded with the introduction of metallurgy about 8,000 years later, was characterized by the development of settled communities that relied primarily on farming and domesticated animals rather than hunting and gathering.

The Neolithic period began in China about 12,000 B.C. However, good evidence of Neolithic settlements exists from only about 4,000 B.C. The Neolithic lasted until about 2,000 B.C. It is defined by a spread of settled agricultural communities, but hunting and gathering was still practiced. The largest concentration of agriculture was below the southern bend of the

Yellow River and millet was the main crop. The geography of Neolithic China was different from today. It was much wetter, with most of Northern China being lakes and marshes and central China covered in an enormous lake. The climate was warm and moist, rather than the colder, arid China of today. The mountains were well forested and there was a variety of animals.

How did the Chinese Neolithic period begin?

In China, as in other areas of the world, Neolithic settlements grew up along the main river systems. Those that dominate the geography of China are the Yellow (central and northern China) and the Yangzi (southern and eastern China).

What are the origins of Chinese artistic tradition?

A distinctly Chinese artistic tradition can be traced to the middle of the Neolithic period, about 4000 B.C. Two groups of artifacts provide the earliest surviving evidence of this tradition. It is now thought that these cultures developed their own traditions for the most part independently, creating distinctive kinds of architecture and types of burial customs, but with some communication and cultural exchange between them.

The first group of artifacts is the painted pottery found at numerous sites along the Yellow River basin, extending from Gansu Province in northwestern China (L.1996.55.6) to Henan Province in central China. The culture that emerged in the central plain was known as Yangshao.
The second group of Neolithic artifacts consists of pottery and jade carvings from the eastern seaboard and the lower reaches of the Yangzi River in the south, representing the Hemudu (near Hangzhou), the Dawenkou and later the Longshan (in Shandong Province), and the Liangzhu? (Hangzhou and Shanghai region).

What are contributions of jade for the Chinese civilization?
Of all aspects of the Neolithic cultures in eastern China, the use of jade made the most lasting contribution to Chinese civilization. Polished stone implements were common to all Neolithic settlements. Stones to be fashioned into tools and ornaments were chosen for their hardness and strength to withstand impact and for their appearance. Jade axes and other

When was the silk first produced?

Silk production, for which China is famous, had already been invented before this time period began. The process began in Northern China. It involved feeding the silkworms mulberry leaves, helping them molt and spin their cocoons, and finally, boiling the cocoons to produce the raw silk. Clothing was made of hemp and the main domesticated animals were pigs and dogs.

What were changes happened in the Neolithic period?

The creation of fixed settlements brought about some other major changes. The idea of private or personal property and land ownership began to be more widespread during the Neolithic period, and people also started to accumulate artifacts and objects which might not have an immediate use or value. The concept of money began to emerge, and some societies

unfortunately started keeping slaves as well, as cultural roles began to emerge for various people in society.

The practice of religion and politics also became more complex during the Neolithic period, since people had more time to invest in pondering the mysteries of life. People also began to trade with each other and to develop complex uses for animal products like wool and milk. The events of the Neolithic period set human culture up for various metal ages, in which humans learned to utilize and work an assortment of metals.