Guangdong and the Austronesians: Excavation and Research at the Shentoushangwan Site in Taishan

ZHU Ke

The Shentoushangwan site is situated on a coastal sandbar in southern Taishan, Guangdong Province. From May to August 2025, the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted a rescue excavation at the site, covering approximately 300 square meters. The excavation uncovered a late Neolithic maritime settlement comprising residential zones, burial sites, and areas designated for stone-tool manufacture. The assemblage is distinguished by sand-tempered grey pottery and red pottery decorated with an array of incised motifs. Notable discoveries include a concentration of jar burials, pottery drums adorned with anthropomorphic dancing patterns, and explicit evidence of secondary jar burial practices, which were documented at the site for the first time. Many of the newly identified cultural elements exhibit close associations with archaeological cultures distributed along the coastal regions of the South China Sea during the period between the fourth and third millennia BP. These findings furnish novel material evidence for assessing the hypothesis of multiple dispersal pathways of early Austronesian populations and underscore the pivotal role of the Pearl River estuary and the Greater Bay Area in the development and dissemination of early Austronesian-speaking communities.