A pottery vessel from the Xiyin site (left), a Taosi period container (center), and A bowl of the Zaoyuan culture (right). [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]

This summer, visitors to the Shanxi Archaeological Museum in Taiyuan can journey back thousands of years through a special exhibition that explores the origins of painted pottery and the early development of Chinese civilization.

Running through Sept 30, Blossoming in Xiyin: Prehistoric Painted Pottery of the Fenhe River Basin brings together 137 groups of artifacts that trace the evolution of painted pottery in the Fenhe River Basin from roughly 7,000 to 4,000 years ago.

The exhibition marks the centenary of the excavation of the Xiyin site, where archaeologist Li Ji led China's first independently conducted scientific archaeological excavation in 1926, laying the foundation for modern Chinese archaeology. Among the highlights are important discoveries from the third excavation of the site, many of which are being displayed publicly for the first time.

Zheng Yuan, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, says: "The large number of pigment palettes, grinding tools and grindstones discovered in 2025 provides valuable new evidence for studying prehistoric painting techniques."

She says the exhibition also shows painted pottery unearthed across Shanxi during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), which offers a comprehensive picture of how painted pottery developed in the Fenhe River Basin over three millennia.

"About 7,000 years ago, communities settled on the loess terraces, shaping clay and extracting minerals to make pigments," says Wu Zhuozhuo, a staff member at the institute. "The open-mouthed, flat-bottomed bowl from the Zaoyuan site in Yicheng county is the earliest painted pottery discovered in Shanxi, distinguished by a broad red band around its rim."

During the Dongzhuang phase of the early Yangshao culture, geometric decoration became increasingly sophisticated, with motifs such as opposing triangles and curved-edged triangular patterns emerging.

Between 6,000 and 5,300 years ago, painted pottery reached its artistic peak. Floral, bird and fish motifs became widespread, reflecting both technical skill and aesthetic refinement. Among the standout pieces is a high-ring basin from the Xiyin site decorated in black, red and white. Another highlight is a fish-patterned basin from the Cuijiahe site in Xiaxian county, featuring two fish joined head to tail in a remarkably lifelike composition — a rare design, Wu says.

An exhibition in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, explores the origins of painted pottery and the early development of Chinese civilization. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]

About 5,300 years ago, painted pottery began to decline in both quantity and decorative complexity. Instead of serving as everyday household ware, it gradually became associated with ritual and ceremonial practices, appearing mainly in elite burials as symbols of status and social hierarchy.

"By the second Miaodigou phase and the Taosi period, painted pottery had largely disappeared from daily life," Wu says. "Most ordinary vessels were made of gray pottery, while painted pottery became closely linked to ritual activities and high-status tombs."

The exhibition also includes artifacts from museums in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Hebei province, highlighting extensive cultural exchanges between the Fenhe River Basin and the central and southern regions of Inner Mongolia, as well as northern Henan province and southern Hebei during the Yangshao period.

Archaeologists believe the finely crafted vessels were probably not everyday household objects but were instead created for ceremonies, religious rituals and other significant communal occasions.

A miniature diorama on show re-creates a typical middle Yangshao settlement. It depicts a community protected by inner and outer moats and divided into residential, workshop and livestock areas. It illustrates how people made pottery, raised silkworms, farmed, fished, and hunted. Smaller buildings served as homes, while larger structures were likely used for communal gatherings and rituals. "The model is not a reconstruction of the Xiyin site itself," Zheng says. "It is based on our broader understanding of Yangshao society."