The Niuheliang site is situated in the Nuluerhu mountain valley by the upper DalingRiver within western Liaoning, lying in the juncture of Lingyuan and Jianping counties, and constitutesHongshan culture ruins comprising 16 localities, including those of a temple, altars and barrows. Locality5 lies in the central zone of the site group, and was excavated on a large scale in 1987, 1998 and 1999.The work covered more than 2,000 sq m in total, and resulted in the revelation of three layers of culturaldeposits, which roughly represent three developmental stages of the Hongshan culture at Niuheliang. Theupper layer is represented by large-stones-built square or round stone-filled barrows and other tombs; themiddle layer, by broken-stones-surfaced stone-filled barrows directed to the north and south and sometimes having erect slabs, as well as sacrificial pits; and the lower layer, mainly by numerous ash-pits related to dwellings. Among the unearthed objects are pottery, jades, bone artifacts, polished stone toolsand microliths. The excavation of Locality Niuheliang-5 is of great importance to research into the contents of the Hongshan culture and to the re-understanding of this cultural complex.
