A major Neolithic culture along the middle Yellow River notable for its distinctive painted pottery and early agricultural settlements.
The Yangshao Neolithic culture of the Yellow River valley came to an end around 3000 BCE, gradually supplanted by the succeeding Longshan culture; the transition was not a sharp break but a cultural evolution, with a Miaodigou II transitional phase linking the two traditions.
Covers early Chinese Neolithic cultures including Yangshao.
The current standard synthesis of early Chinese archaeology, covering Yangshao, Hongshan, Longshan, Liangzhu, and Erlitou as China moves toward state formation.