A total of 324 sets of the Hemudu Culture relics are on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing to mark the 50th anniversary of one of China's most important archeological discoveries.

The Hemudu Site takes its name from Hemudu Town, where the site was discovered. The town is located in Yuyao City, east China's Zhejiang Province. The Hemudu Culture has been verified to have existed between 5,000 BC and 3,300 BC.
The special exhibition showcases artifacts excavated from the Hemudu site, Tianluoshan site, Tashan site and Jingtoushan site, all located in Zhejiang, including pottery, stone tools, bone artifacts, shell objects, wooden items and textiles. It covers the important archeological achievements of the Hemudu Culture, such as the remains of rice farming, the remains of stilt wooden house, pottery with charcoal mixed in clay and some handicrafts.
Among the exhibited artifacts, two core items of the Hemudu Culture have garnered special attention: a pig-patterned pottery bowl, and an ivory with the motif of two phoenix-like birds worshiping the sun. Both of them are national-level cultural relics, making debut in Beijing.
The ivory decorated with two phoenix-like birds worshiping the sun is a rare and precious example of the Neolithic art. Experts have deciphered a wealth of information from the carvings.
"It shows at that time, the ecological environment of the Hemudu Culture site was different from that of today. At that time, elephants and other animals were all living here. The carvings were very exquisite. The sun was in the middle of the two birds, and there were nicks in the shape of a flame, which were true to life and artistically beautiful. We can imagine that the ancients had a worship of the sun," said Yang Jianwu, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics.
Hemudu relics were first found in June 1973 during construction work. The discovery was one of the most important archeological events in China in the 20th century.