Earlier Neolithic Economic and Social Systems of the Liao River Region, Northeast China

This chapter surveys the archaeological data pertaining to the early sedentary agriculturalist lifestyles in the Xilamulun-Liao river basins in northeast China.It surveys archaeological data pertaining to the so-called Xinglongwa and Zhaobaogou material cultures, and evaluates some crucial socioeconomic aspects of these early sedentary societies. The chapter also demonstrates the potential contribution of such research to a better understanding of meaningful anthropological questions. One of the main goals of research in this area, as in many other areas of China, has been the search for early Neolithic cultures. Two issues associated with the advent of agriculture in northeast China are still open to debate: (1) the origins of agriculture and sedentism in this region and the process of its development; and (2) the relative importance of agricultural resources in the economy of the Xinglongwa and Zhaobaogou societies and the percentage of the agricultural products in the diet of its population.