More and more archaeological research results are suggesting that Suzhou may be a former center of the Liangzhu culture which is now under world spotlight since the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou (a neighboring city of Suzhou), East China’s Zhejiang province, were inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 6.

Archaeologists have found in Suzhou a load of cultural relics such as ancient tombs, jade ritual ware and farming facilities that can support the conjecture. For example, an irrigation system for rice cultivation and a number of jade ware unearthed at Caoxieshan cultural heritage site in SIP are considered testimonies to the historical correlations between Liangzhu culture and much earlier Neolithic civilizations in the area. 

According to Zhang Zhaogen, director of Suzhou Archaeological Institute, it may be the continuous subsidence of the Taihu Lake alluvial plain that caused the shift of the center of the Liangzhu culture to Hangzhou. Zhang disclosed that he and his peers are enhancing efforts to unveil more secrets about the 5,300-year civilization and protect related cultural relics.