The first traces of Chinese art date back to Neolithic times. Very early on, beginning in the 11th century, scholars and dignitaries became enthusiastic about these relics, unearthed from tombs to bear witness to the past, possibly to a golden age...
Excavations would be carried out on certain sites, and catalogues of the findings would be drawn up, but this was all mainly in the interest of prospective collectors. It was not until the early 20th century that archaeology on a scientific basis got properly underway in China, thanks to various European research expeditions. Political unrest at times hampered the researchers, but since around 1980 their work has been granted priority, in view of the country's effort to promote and preserve its national cultural heritage.
Although the sheer immensity of the land certainly still holds some surprises, the present-day view of China has it divided into two major archaeological realms: the Yellow River (Huanghe) Delta to the north, and the Blue River (Yangtze) Delta to the south. The first has revealed finds dating from the 6th millennium BCE, in particular, a kind of primitive, red pottery with rope motifs, already featuring the famous tripods (li) that would reappear in later periods.
The period stretching from late in the 6th millennium until early in the 2nd millennium saw the development of what has been termed the Yangshao culture (the eponymous site is located in the middle delta of the Yellow River). About one hundred sites belonged to this period, all of which reflect a semi-sedentary lifestyle centered on agriculture - millet was their main crop - augmented by hunting. Craftsmanship was widespread in the form of weaving (silk and hemp) and pot- tery. Their grayish- or reddish-bodied earthenware was hand-built up in successive layers rather than turned on a potter's wheel, and many pieces featured black painted decors or incisions, perhaps prefiguring Chinese characters. The Longshan culture, which coexisted with the preceding culture for some time, before replacing it, stretched further to the east and was devoted mainly to agriculture (millet, barley, wheat) and animal husbandry (the domestication of the buffalo). This culture already carried out rites belonging to the cult of their ancestors and reflecting belief in a "mirror-life" of the Beyond, as testified by the presence of necropolises near the villages, and by the discovery, surrounding the skeletons, of pottery pieces containing food (at Yangshao), including in particular magnificent black, wheel-turned earthenware.
These two particularly outstanding cultures will suffice to give readers an idea of the Neolithic Chinese output; together, they give a good idea of the populations who peopled those times, their resources and their rites.
Of course, the shift from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age took place very progressively. The Yangshao and Longshan peoples were already familiar with metal, resorted to tortoiseshell and jade, and practiced scapulomancy - all skills that would become generalized from the late 3rd millennium BCE.