Neolithic cultures of northeastern China and their relations with the adjacent territories (Chinese research)

The Neolithic in Northeastern China and the adjacent territories is distinguished by relatively wide population migrations, which led to the spread of agriculture to the northern areas. There are few specialized studies on cultural exchange of Manchuria with the Amur region and Primorie, or, conversely, of Manchuria with the southern areas of the Shandong Peninsula or the Middle Yellow River region. In Northeastern China, over 20 archaeological cultures have been identified, dating from 8000 to 4000 BP. The article presents the studies by Chinese archaeologists analyzing the common features manifested by the cultures of the region, most typical forms of pottery, ornamentation, residential and burial complexes, and types of economy, which constitute the basis for periodization of the Neolithic in this region. The parallels from the areas adjacent to Dongbei, such as the Middle Yellow River region, Liaodong Peninsula, Amur region, and Primorie have been analyzed separately. The cultures of Central China had the greatest influence on the southern regions of the Liaodong Peninsula and the west of Liaoning. We may find parallels to the evidence from the Amur region in the Xinkailiu culture of the Sanjiang Plain, where not only similar forms, but also similar ornamentation with the diamond-shaped comb stamp (“the Amur braid”) have been discovered. Pottery of the Gromatukha type finds parallels in the cultures of Angangxi, Shihuichang, and Zhenxing. The carriers of the Middle Neolithic Yabuli and Xinkailiu cultures had the comb-stamp technique identical to what we may observe on the Boisman and Rudnaya Pristan’ pottery of Primorie. We find parallels to the pottery of the early Zaisanovka-1 complex in the materials from the Xingcheng site. There was no unified cultural community in Northeastern China and the adjacent territories in the Neolithic, but the stylistic similarities between the cultures of the same period in these regions are quite distinct, which indicates the extensive and constant contacts.