The Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics Protection in Shanxi Province, in collaboration with relevant research institutions, recently discovered an important Neolithic site, the "Xipanwei Site," in Xipanwei Village, Yangqu County, in the same city. This site covers an area of approximately 200,000 square meters, and a rich variety of large painted pottery (彩文土器, i.e., painted earthenware) was unearthed in large quantities, filling a gap in archaeological research on the late Yangshao culture (approximately 5,300 to 4,600 years ago) in the Yangqu region.

The Xipanwei Site is located on a relatively gentle loess plateau, with an elevation of approximately 959 meters. The surrounding area is rich in water resources and the land is fertile, and it is believed to have provided an excellent natural environment for the production and life of ancient people.

After systematic investigation within the designated area, the site was confirmed to be distributed on a loess plateau extending in a north-south direction. In the cross-section between the plateaus, red burnt earth and ash pits remain, and 8 ash pits and 1 tomb were confirmed.

The unearthed artifacts consist mainly of pottery, stone tools, and bone tools, among which painted pottery is numerous, and its patterns, while simple, are rich in regularity. From these characteristics, it was found to be similar to the painted pottery unearthed at the Yijing Site. The coloring is mainly reddish-brown, with some black coloring also observed. The patterns, such as rhombuses, triangles, and bands, use linear geometric motifs as basic elements, and these are combined to form unit patterns such as grid, checkerboard, rhombus patterns, parallel horizontal bands, and vertical wavy lines. In addition, painted pottery with patterns such as circles and dots was also confirmed, though in small numbers. (Provided by/CGTN Japanese)