The First Chahai Forum Kicks off in Fuxin City, Liaoning Province

Opening ceremony of The First Chahai Forum (Photo by Huang Fei)

From July 15 to July 17, the first Chahai Forum is held in Fuxin City, Liaoning Province, attended by authoritative experts from archaeology, cultural relics, cultural museums, cultural tourism, and other various fields. The event serves as a re-interpretation of this prehistoric culture from a comprehensive perspective as well as a renewed examination from the dual perspectives of inheriting Chinese culture and exploring the origins of Chinese civilization.

Jade chisel exhibited at the Chahai Site Museum (Photo by Huang Fei)

Located in Mongolian Autonomous County, Fuxin City, Liaoning Province, the Chahai Site dates back to about 8,000 years ago through radiocarbon dating and tree-ring calibration. It stands as the earliest, most well-preserved, and culturally-enriched Neolithic human settlement site in the western Liao River basin of northern China. The discovery of this site validates China's cultural history spanning over ten thousand years.

Experts and scholars conduct an investigation at the Ta Chi Xi Gou Site. (Photo by Huang Fei)

The Chahai Site has unearthed the "Chinese Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon," the "World's First Jade," the "Earliest Animal Fang in China," and the "Earliest Stone Bearing in China." These findings provide invaluable evidence for exploring the cultural system of the Neolithic Age in Northeast China, the early agricultural forms in the northern region, the origin of jade culture, and the worship of the dragon totem. In addition, the site remains a convincing demonstration that the Western Liao River Basin, like the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin, is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.

The Special Symposium (Photo by Huang Fei)

Besides the main archaeological site, the Chahai Site also includes several other cultural sites, such as the Ta Chi Xi Gou Site, Cheng Jia Liang Site, and Jia Jia Gou Xi Site, which together compose the Cha Hai Archaeological Complex.