Rice, as one of the most important food crops, is the staple food for over half of the world's population. At the Shangshan Site in Zhejiang Province, China, archaeologists and researchers have discovered the world's earliest remains of rice farming, which has refreshed the understanding of the origin of rice farming in the world. Today (June 22nd), in the "Cultural China Tour", we will walk into the mountain ruins together and experience the source of rice cultivation that nourishes human civilization. The Shangshan Site is located in Shangshan Village, Pujiang County, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. It dates back more than 10000 years and is the earliest Neolithic site discovered in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Since its discovery in 2000, after 5 archaeological excavations, more than 1000 precious cultural relics such as pottery basins, pottery jars, and stone grinding plates have been unearthed. Through interdisciplinary research and analysis of rice, rice husks, and rice leaf remains, archaeologists have confirmed that the rice unearthed from the Shangshan site has distinct characteristics that differ from wild rice, proving that Shangshan people have already begun to cultivate rice artificially. This discovery further traces the history of Chinese rice culture back to 10000 years ago. The Shangshan Site, the Kuahuqiao Site about 8000 years ago, the Hemudu Site about 7000 years ago, and the Liangzhu Ancient City Site about 5000 years ago jointly outline a clear continuous sequence of the origin and early development of China's artificially cultivated rice. Here, not only clear grain ten thousand year old rice, sickle shaped stone knives and pieces used for harvesting rice, stone grinding discs and rods used for threshing, but also a special type of charcoal pottery were discovered. Archaeologists have analyzed that over 10000 years ago, ancient people may have known how to reduce the weight of pottery, increase its cohesiveness, and prevent cracking during firing. They crushed rice husks and leaves and mixed them with clay for firing. The dense pile of broken rice husks proves that the scale of rice cultivation at that time was already quite considerable. Subsequently, archaeologists discovered more than 20 Shangshan cultural sites in the surrounding areas, excavating rich relics such as moats and house sites, as well as a large number of pottery and stone tools. The site group covers an area of nearly 30000 square kilometers, together forming the earliest agricultural settlement discovered so far. Unearthed cultural relics gradually unfold the picture of agricultural culture from thousands of years ago. At present, Shangshan Archaeological Site Park has been included in the fifth batch of national archaeological site parks. The Shangshan Site Museum is expected to open by the end of this year. This ten thousand year old site, which serves as a testament to the origin of world rice farming and the cultural roots of Chinese agricultural villages, will tell the story of Chinese agricultural civilization to the world. (New Society)