Archaeological and written records of the Fenglin culture bearers in the north-east China during the early iron age

Fenglin culture is one of the Early Iron Age culture of the Sanjiang plain, China, named after the excavation of Fenglin fortress in 1998. Located on the border between Heilongjiang province and Russia, the Sanjiang alluvial plain was formed by continuous interaction between the Amur River, the Ussuri River, and the Songhua River. Based on the results of multiple archaeological investigations practiced by Chinese and Russian archaeologists, several archaeological cultures were designated. Poltse-Wanyanhe, Guntulin, Fenglin, and first stage of Tongren culture are assumed as the Early Iron Age cultures of this region. Among them, first stage of Tongren culture is considered as the remains of Mohe people. This paper focuses on the Fenglin culture and the people who left those archaeological phenomena. The hallmark of Fenglin culture is the presence of fortress, and other fortresses beside Fenglin fortress were observed around Qixing river basin. All of the houses were found within the structure of fortress, and most of them are square shaped pit house with rounded corners. Two of the investigated houses had Kan: underfloor heating structure. The Fenglin culture is bordered on the west by the Zhangguangcai ridge, on the north by Songhua River, on the south by Huanan, Baoqing area, on the east by the Ussuri River basin. Radiocarbon dating suggests that main epoch of the culture is around 2 nd to 5 th century AD. The ethnic groups that appear in Chinese historical literatures during this period are Wuji and Doumolou. Therefore, either one of the two might be directly related to the Fenglin culture. Wuji first appears in the «Weishu», which describes the location, lifestyle, and route to this ethnic group. Based on the observation of this record, it is regarded in the paper that «Sumoshui» is the first Songhua River, and «Tutaishan» is Zhangguangcai ridge, and the territory of Wuji is on the Sanjiang plains. Although Doumolou also appears first in the «Weishu», beside the location and geographic description, most of the information is limited. According to the record, Doumolou is located northeast of the junction between the first Songhua River and the Nenjang River. Hence, Doumolou is bordered on the west by the Songnen plains and the south by the Songliao plains. However, further studies are yet to be done. Assuming that the center of Wuji is Sanjiang plains, archaeological records of the excavated Fenglin culture and historical literature are further analyzed. The accordance between the two was observed in terms of geographic characteristics, form of residence, lifestyle (e.g., farming), and most importantly, the presence of fortress. Consequently, considering the content of historical literature and results of archaeological investigation, we would like to conclude that Fenglin culture belongs to Wuji ethnic group.