This Neolithic Liangzhu Culture jade pendant was unearthed at M60 position in the Huating Site.

This treasure consists of 14 rings, 3 pendants, 2 pendants, and 5 pendants, totaling 24 pieces connected in series. All components of this treasure are finely polished with brown red and yellow brown spotted tremolite nephrite.

The 14 jade rings are all made of flat circular shapes, with smooth and polished surfaces, and are meticulously crafted.

The most exquisitely crafted one is a jade colored goose yellow striped brown spotted bird pattern jade pendant. One of the pieces has a slightly parallelogram outline, and the four corners on the front and back sides have birds finely carved with relief techniques. There are four birds on one side and a total of eight birds on both sides. The image of the picture shows two birds facing each other, one large and the other small. From a side view, the two birds corresponding to the front and back merge into a three-dimensional bird, with a body thickness of 0.5 centimeters, which can also be seen as a circular sculpture.

The planned Huating Archaeological Site Park will present a regional spatial structure of "two areas, one axis, one belt, and seven districts". Among them, the "two areas" are the Huating Ruins Park area and the Maling Mountain Scenic Area area area; The "Seven Districts" include the site display area, ecological landscape display area, folk culture experience area, museum research display area, modern agriculture display area, pattern farmland landscape display area, and flower hall cultural interpretation interactive display area. The picture shows the RV camping area that has been built around the Huating Site. Photographed by our reporter Sun Yahui

Recently, the first "Flower Hall Forum · Flower Hall Ruins and Dietary Archaeology Academic Seminar" was held in Xinyi City, Jiangsu Province. The attending scholars discussed topics such as exploring the origin of regional civilization in Jiangsu, archaeology of flower hall ruins, and the diet of ancient Chinese people from the perspective of biological archaeology. Our reporter arrived in Xinyi, following the footsteps of archaeologists and listening to the whispers of civilization coming from under the soil.

There are The Two Cultures types at the same time

In mid April, the weather in Xuzhou showed a slight coolness after a light rain in mid spring. Drive south along Xinyi South Station, turn from National Highway 235 to Shanshui Avenue, and the cultural heritage monument of the Huating Site stands in a field beside the road. The new rain moistens the new shoots of grass and trees, mixed with the fragrance of soil, as if it pulls people's thoughts into the long river of history.

More than 5000 years ago, Xinyi Flower Hall, located at the junction of northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong, was a mysterious settlement where the Dawenkou culture from the north collided and blended with the Liangzhu culture from the south. The text on the cultural heritage monument shows that the area of hundreds of thousands of square meters, starting from Huating Village in the south, reaching Xuzhuang North in the north, Beigou Circle in the east, and Wushantou in the west, were all covered by the Huating settlement.

The Huating Site was discovered in the early 1950s. As an important settlement site in the middle and late Neolithic period of Dawenkou culture, the unearthed artifacts here have both the characteristics of Dawenkou culture and the characteristics of Liangzhu culture, providing examples for understanding the cultural exchange patterns between different cultural regions in prehistoric China, which has attracted widespread attention from the academic community.

Is this cultural fusion caused by war or migration? Or is it peaceful coexistence?

It is reported that the Huating site mainly consists of burial distribution areas and residential areas of the site. The burial area can be divided into southern and northern regions. The southern region belongs to the early period of the middle period of Dawenkou culture, while the northern region belongs to the late period of the middle period of Dawenkou culture. In the southern district, a total of more than 20 tombs were excavated, with a relatively small scale and mainly being single person burials. The burial objects were mainly pottery, including chiseled foot tripods, hollow seat beans, etc. The unearthed jade objects were mainly rings, congs, tubes, pendants, and bracelets.

Compared with the tombs in the southern district, the tombs in the northern district have a significantly larger scale and higher level. Not only were there abundant burial objects, but early evidence of human sacrifice was also discovered, indicating that the strict hierarchical system was basically formed at that time. Most of the more than 60 tombs are rectangular earth pits and vertical cave tombs, with accompanying artifacts including tile foot tripods, jar shaped tripods, etc.

A large portion of the site has not been explored yet

In the keynote speech segment of the academic seminar, Wang Renxiang, Director of the Public Archaeological Guidance Committee of the Chinese Archaeological Society, Luan Fengshi, Professor of the School of History and Culture of Shandong University, Huang Jianqiu, Professor of the School of History of Nanjing University He Yunao, the director of the Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage at Nanjing University, delivered speeches on the themes of "archaeological pancakes", "academic value of the Flower Hall Site", "Flower Hall - the center of cultural integration between North and South", and "three reflections triggered by the Flower Hall Site".

At present, the excavated area is only a small part of the Huating site, and there is still a large part of the site that has not been explored. Huang Jianqiu said that further investigation of the Huating site should be done from an archaeological perspective, and exploration should be carried out in stages and batches to understand the status of underground sites. In his opinion, although there are many sites with elements of both North and South culture in the country, the Huating site is very typical. While it gathers elements of Dawenkou culture and Liangzhu culture, there are also other cultural factors such as Xuejiagang culture and Yangshao culture here.

The Huating Site itself is located in the northern region of Jiangsu Province, and now it appears to be relatively far from the sea. However, if we consider changes in sea level, would the Huating be closer to the sea at that time? "Huang Jianqiu speculated that the Huating Site, which was closer to the sea at that time, had fertile land and a relatively dense population, making it a hub for cultural integration between the north and the south.

Luan Fengshi stated that both the size of the tomb chamber and the quantity and quality of burial items at the Huating Site are worth paying attention to. The tomb has a large area, a large number of burial objects, and many jade artifacts, leading to the phenomenon of martyrdom. He believes that the Dawenkou culture, as an important region for the origin, formation, and early development of Chinese civilization, is diverse, parallel, and relatively independent, just like the Liangzhu culture in the south, the Yangshao culture in the central plains, the Qujialing and Shijiahe cultures in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The Flower Hall Site can reflect the process of developing from primitive to civilization, and entering a higher stage from tribes.

Scholars attending the meeting stated that a large number of pig and dog skeletons, pottery, and jade artifacts unearthed from the Huating site demonstrate the dietary life and daily craftsmanship of the ancestors of the Huating site. Through these archaeological excavations, the living conditions of the ancestors of the Flower Hall were gradually restored.

Preparation for the construction of an archaeological site park

The reporter learned that in order to better protect and use the Huating site, Xinyi plans to build a site cultural park that integrates site protection, display and utilization, archaeological research, and cultural tourism, hoping to build it into a cultural landmark during the Dawenkou period and an important carrier for the construction of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park.

The Flower Hall Site was originally located at the west foot of Maling Mountain. It is only ten minutes' drive away from the popular tourist section of Maling Mountain Scenic Area. You can reach Yaowan Ancient Town by the Grand Canal 20 or 30 kilometers to the west. The surrounding tourism resources are very rich.

He Yunao stated that there are still many unsolved mysteries left at the Flower Hall Site, such as whether there are city walls, moats, or architectural areas? Why is the northern district a higher-level tomb area with a larger scale, while the southern district is a small-scale tomb area? What is the layout of the entire flower hall site? And so on. In his view, the flower hall more than 5000 years ago was actually the center of a region, and the cultural connotations and classic significance of this settlement that integrates northern and southern cultures still need to be further explored. This requires further comprehensive archaeological work on the flower hall site. Clarify the underground cultural relics and layout, conduct in-depth research on the flower hall ruins and their position in the cultural integration of the Surabaya River Basin, Huaihe River Basin, Yellow River Basin, and Yangtze River Basin, and design plans based on this. Subsequently, through the construction of modern digital museums and archaeological site parks, more flower hall stories buried deep in history will be exhibited.

The Huating Site and its cultural type belong to the cultural system of the Surabaya River Basin, an important tributary of the Huai River. The Huai River is an important river with a unique cultural status, and the importance of the Huai River Basin in the exploration and research of Chinese civilization should be emphasized. "He Yunao said.

The theme of the first week is "Red Gold" in Parma, where red gold refers to the local tomatoes. Italian cuisine cannot be separated from tomatoes, which are essential "soul" dishes from vegetable salads, pasta, pizza, and various stews and sauces. So, the first theme of the Palma Food Festival is to pay tribute to tomatoes. The theme of the second week is the famous Parma ham. The theme of the third week is the history of cuisine, with dedicated personnel leading tourists through the ancient city of Parma to experience the local culinary traditions. The theme for the fourth week is Parmesan cheese and pasta.

Parma is rich in two top ingredients - dried ham and Parma cheese. As locals say, if you want to learn about Parma, you must not miss ham and cheese. Parma ham is known as the "Herm è s of Italian ham", and its fame and craftsmanship are commendable. And its trademark is a golden crown, marked with the origin of "Parma", proudly demonstrating its extraordinary identity. Cheese is an indispensable ingredient in Italian cuisine, with Parmesan cheese being the most famous among them. For Italians, a portion of pasta must be sprinkled with Parmesan cheese to be considered authentic. Authentic Parmesan cheese has a beautiful golden yellow surface and a relatively solid texture, with a combination of milky, salty, and sweet flavors. Palma's snacks are also closely related to these two ingredients, such as local dumplings filled with different ingredients, including spinach, Palma cheese, pumpkin, and so on. And a type of sausage called Politi, which contains beef tongue, pork elbow meat, and other ingredients, paired with sauce, is very delicious.

During the food festival, there is also a thousand person dinner in the small town. On the ancient path of the small town, a 300 meter long table is set up under the starry sky, and nearly a thousand people sit together to taste delicious food. The scene is very spectacular. During the banquet, the chefs will also come out on stage to receive applause and cheers from the diners. The culinary culture of Parma is closely related to its superior geographical location. It is located in the central region of Italy, known as the "Gourmet Valley". The 'Gourmet Valley' is rich in ingredients and has many food workshops.

According to reports, the Palma Food Festival was launched in 1964 and initially only 12 restaurants participated. More than 100 restaurants have actively participated in the food festival activities. This event has been sponsored by the Parma City Government, which hopes to use food as an opportunity to drive the development of the tourism industry.

Valencia, Spain, "City of Tapas"

The Spanish coastal city of Valencia also has its own food festival. Every spring, the Valencia Culinary Festival attracts renowned chefs from around the world. This year's festival is from May 11th to 21st. In addition to cooking special food for local people and tourists, chefs will also participate in seminars to create more creative food.

Valencia is the hometown of Spain's famous paella. In addition to seafood rice, the local "Tapas" is also increasingly favored by tourists. Tapas "refers to various snacks consumed by local people as a starter before dinner. Eva Fernandez of the Valencia Tourism Bureau told Global Times reporters that nowadays, "Tapas" not only has a rich variety, but its status has also become increasingly high. So much so that in some local taverns and even restaurants in Valencia, many diners can skip from various "tapas" for appetizers to desserts and wine after meals, because the combination of various "tapas" is enough to make a complete dinner.

Valencia also has a nickname called "City of Tapas", which reflects the popularity of Tapas here. When locals eat, they often have a catchphrase - 'less is more'. Tourists who have participated in the local food festival deeply agree with this. At the beginning of a meal, never overeat just because a certain type of tapas is delicious, otherwise you won't be able to eat even more delicious tapas later on. Starting to eat less is for the sake of being able to eat more later, and Valencians' 'less is more' is still very reasonable.

The reporter saw on the menus of multiple restaurants and taverns in Valencia that they usually offer 8 to 12 types of "Tapas", which are mainly made from local vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, potatoes, red peppers, onions, garlic, olives, saffron, as well as seafood, pork, beef, and poultry. Add ham or fish, chicken, or shrimp as filling to potato balls like fried balls. The potato cake is a Egg cakes mixed with potatoes and onions. Other dishes include tomato bread, red chili grilled cod, eel pot, etc. The ingredients for 'Tapas' also come from the local area. Especially the central market in Valencia, which is one of the largest vegetable markets in Europe, with 1200 stalls selling various foods.

Eva told reporters that "Tapas" is very important for Valencia and even the entire Spain. It has risen to become a spirit in Valencia. It is a civilian delicacy. When everyone tastes it together, they always feel at ease, which is very in line with the free style of Valencians.

There are still many cities in Europe that rely on their cuisine to enhance their tourism industry, such as Berlin, which is famous for its curry sausages. However, in order to turn the 'internet celebrity' snack festival into a local culinary culture and a sign of the city, these cities need to continuously cultivate it. German cultural scholar Marcel Noel told reporters that European cities such as Lyon have done very well, emphasizing the sustainable development of cuisine and attracting global tourists in the long term.