72-Year-Old Man Spends 21 Years Guarding Neolithic Site

by iface011 on 2011-09-28 10:09:16

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In 1990, the Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute came to Leigu Fort for the first trial excavation. The trial excavation area was 100 square meters, with a cultural layer depth of 3 meters, divided into 9 layers. Through 40 days of excavation, a total of 20,685 pieces (fragments) of stone tools and pottery were unearthed from three archaeological pits.

In 1987, the Provincial Cultural Relics Inspection Team came to Zhao Minghao's home, taking away more than 30 stone tools and determined that Leigu Fort was a Neolithic site. In 1989, experts from the Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeological Research Institute conducted an on-site investigation and found that the area of the Neolithic site was nearly 9,000 square meters.

After expert identification, the site is about 5,000 years old and belongs to the late Neolithic period. In 2008, the site was listed as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit. (Liu Xiangu)

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This year, Zhao Minghao, aged 72, is a retired teacher. In March 1984, he accidentally picked up a stone shaped like an axe while in Fangtian Village near Leigu Fort. Subsequently, he also picked up more than ten stones near Leigu Fort. After identification by cultural relics experts, the stones he collected were products of the Neolithic Age.

By chance, Zhao Minghao, a villager from Leigu Fort Village in Chunzai Town, Tongjiang County, discovered a Neolithic site. When the archaeological team left, he voluntarily applied to take on the responsibility of guarding the site. Yesterday, Li Yao, a staff member of the office of the Tongjiang County Cultural Relics Management Office, said that in the past 21 years, under Zhao Minghao's care, the Leigu Fort site had never been damaged.