Hunting and fishing-led economy and early civilization: the case of the Hongshan Culture in western Liaoning

Abstract

When Zhang Zhongpei put forward the concept of the “fishing and hunting Neolithic culture” in the 1980s, it broke through the ideological limitation that only an agricultural economy could produce Neolithic culture and provided references and inspiration for in-depth exploration and theoretical innovation of related issues. Since that time, a large number of studies have shown that the late stage of the Hongshan Culture (6500—5000 cal BP) in western Liaoning had entered a stage of early civilized society. Recent research based on scientific and technological archaeological materials shows that the Hongshan Culture was dominated by a fishing and hunting economy. It shows that in some specific areas, the fishing and hunting economy can not only produce Neolithic culture, but also can give birth to early civilization, which further breaks from traditional understanding. The Hongshan Culture has a special economic structure based on fishing and hunting, supplemented by agriculture. It shows the harmonious coexistence of nature and culture, which jointly promoted the development of society.