“Hetao People” Cultural Relic Site in Inner Mongolia Gains Global Recognition
Guangming Daily reporter Gao Ping Wang Xiao Guangming Daily correspondent Su Jiaojiao
In the Salawusu River Valley of Inner Mongolia in summer, the air is warm and humid. The vegetation on both sides of the valley is dense, and deep in the dense forest, the calls of birds are clear and loud. The Salawusu ruins were excavated here 100 years ago, so this is also the home of the “Hetao people” tens of thousands of years ago. Wang Dafang, executive vice president and secretary-general of the Inner Mongolia Society of Cultural Relics, said that the Salawusu site is an important historical relic, filling the blank of Chinese Paleolithic.
Continue to Inherit and Explore the Origin of Civilization
The Salawusu site is located in Salawusu Village, Ordos Wushen Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It has grown from obscurity to being well-known to the world, and it began with a scientific expedition a hundred years ago. From 1922 to 1923, French scholars Sang Zhihua and Teiljin discovered and excavated the Salawusu site during their scientific investigation in Northwest China, unearthed about 200 pieces of Paleolithic tools, discovered a human tooth fossil, and named it For “Erdos teeth”. This is the first time that a large number of Paleolithic ages have been discovered in China, and it is also the first confirmed Paleolithic human fossil in East Asia. caused a stir.
In the 1940s, Pei Wenzhong, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, first used the two special terms “Hetao Man” and “Hetao Culture”. “Hetao Man” is represented by the “Ordos tooth”, and “Hetao Culture” is represented by the Paleolithic stone artifacts discovered in Shuidonggou and Salawusu.
File photo of Salawusu ruins
Since 1978, more scholars, especially Dong Guangrong, Li Baosheng, Huang Weiwen, Wei Qi, etc., have conducted more in-depth and comprehensive research on the geology, paleontology, Paleolithic tools and ancient humans in this area, and discovered 17 ancient Human fossils, nearly 200 stone tools and dozens of sets of ancient vertebrate fossils. These extremely important investigation and research results are concentrated in the monograph “Comprehensive Research on Late Quaternary Geology and Paleoanthropology of the Salawusu River” organized by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Cultural Relics Bureau. At the same time, the Inner Mongolia Museum has collected these precious ancient human and vertebrate fossils, and the stone tools are collected in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
During nearly a century of research work, Salawusu revealed rich strata and unearthed a large number of fossils and stone artifacts. So far, more than 380 kinds of human fossils and stone tool fossils have been discovered in Salawusu, and as many as 45 kinds of mammal fossils and bird fossils. It is recognized as the earliest Paleolithic remains discovered in my country and the first formal scientific excavation Therefore, the Salawusu site has become a Paleolithic cultural relic with great influence in the field of archaeology in my country and even the world. A classic archaeological area of animal and human migrations. It has irreplaceable research value and status in the fields of world history and geology, paleoenvironmental science, archaeology, and paleoanthropology.
Ancient artisans with exquisite skills
The solid archaeological results have allowed Salawusu to come from the depths of history and become clearer and richer day by day. Salawusu, where a large number of Paleolithic tools and a large number of mammal fossils were accompanied by a large number of mammal fossils, and human fossils were unearthed at the first time in China, occupies a prominent position in the history of modern Chinese archaeology.
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences now preserves more than 200 stone tools unearthed from the Salawusu site since the 1980s.
Using techniques such as 3D stitching, 3D modeling, and micro-trace analysis, the researchers found that most of these stone tools were smaller than 2 centimeters and were finely repaired, while the collar repairing tools had traces of being used for mounting handles. “Collar” refers to the part of the stone tool that connects to the handle, which is convenient for binding it to the handle. This discovery is the earliest evidence for the use of stone tool repair collar handles in northern China.
“This shows that the ‘Hetao people’ have mastered very superb forging technology, which reflects their high degree of development and full utilization of stone materials, and their high awareness of ecological environment and resource conditions and ability to develop and utilize them.” Chinese Academy of Sciences Paleovertebral Gao Xing, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology and Paleoanthropology, said.
At present, the Salawusu site is applying for the World Natural and Cultural “Double Heritage” and has made important progress.
“Erdos Teeth” model file picture
Protect the context and carry forward the future
In recent years, Ordos City and Wushen Banner have stepped up efforts to protect and develop the ruins, and planned and constructed the Salawusu Heritage Park with a high starting point and high quality, so that ancient cultural relics can survive. Gao Weiguo, director of the Salawusu National Archaeological Site Park Administration, said: “Take the opportunity of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Salawusu site in 2023 to promote the Salawusu site to the world, and at the same time carry out high-quality development of the Salawusu site. The construction plan of the archaeological site park, speed up the declaration of the world natural and cultural heritage of the Salawusu site, start the construction of a national 5A-level scenic spot, and strive to build the Salawusu site into a world-class archaeological research center for ancient humans and the Paleolithic Age platform and popular science base.”
For a long time, Ordos City has attached great importance to the research and protection of the Salawusu site, and successively built the Salawusu Wetland Park and the Salawusu Site Park. In 2022, the two parks will be merged to establish the Wuding River Basin Comprehensive Management and Development Center and the Salawusu “Hetao People” Cultural Research Center.
“The systemic projects of ‘protection, development, and utilization’ of the Salawusu ruins have been implemented step by step. The overall planning of the protection and development of the Sarawusu ruins has been jointly promoted by local governments, Chinese and foreign scholars, and cultural conservation workers. important event.” said Su Qingpu, Director of the Propaganda Department of the Wushen Banner Committee.
“Guangming Daily” (version 09, August 14, 2023)
[
责编：孙宗鹤 ]