Archaeologists have found ruins of a 5,500 year old pentagonal structure at a construction site in the Chinese city of Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, about 500 kilometres southwest of Beijing. The building covers about 32 square metres, and is believed to belong to the middle and late periods of the Yangshao Culture.
     Originating around the middle reaches of the Yellow River, the Yangshao Culture is widely known for its advanced pottery-making technology, and considered an important source of Chinese civilisation.
     Abundant pottery pieces have been unearthed in the house, including sand-filled pottery kettles, sand-filled grey pottery pots, red pottery pots, and sharp-bottomed bottles.
     The site is of great academic value for studying the cultural features of the Neolithic Age in Taiyuan Basin, and the prehistoric cultural exchanges in Taiyuan and its surrounding areas.
     Besides the pentagonal house, researchers also uncovered 98 ash pits, 11 pottery kilns, 2 houses and 6 tombs of Ming (1368-1644 CE) and Qing (1644-1911 CE) dynasties.

Edited from CGTN, China.org.cn (13 November 2021)