Chapter 1: | Introduction |
Figure 3. Major Prehistoric Sites in Southeast China

Fujian Province
During this period, most archaeological works concentrated on the lower reaches of the Min River. The first archaeological excavation of a prehistoric site was conducted at the Tanshishan site in 1954 (FPM, 1955). By 1974, seven seasons of archeological excavations were carried out at this site (FPM, 1961, 1964, 1976, 1983), making it one of the most extensively excavated sites in Fujian until today. The archaeological records of the Tanshishan site have been employed as a diagnostic reference to estimate the date of other Neolithic sites in Fujian. To a certain extent, the research history of the Tanshishan site represents the most important part of the history of Fujian Neolithic archaeology.