Located on both banks of the Dawen River at the southern foot of Taishan Mountain in Tai'an, the Dawenkou site plays a crucial role in the study of the origins of Chinese civilization. [Photo/WeChat account: sdswltwx]

The main city event for the 2025 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day in Shandong Province took place on June 16 at the Dawenkou National Archaeological Site Park in Tai'an. During the event, the site park was officially inaugurated, meaning Shandong is now home to four national archaeological site parks.

Located on both banks of the Dawen River at the southern foot of Taishan Mountain in Tai'an city, the Dawenkou site covers an area of 38.9 hectares, with 22.3 hectares on the north bank and 16.6 hectares on the south bank. It is the eponymous site of the Dawenkou culture, which plays a crucial role in the study of the origins of Chinese civilization, succeeding the Beixin culture and preceding the Longshan culture.

In recent years, Shandong province has significantly increased investment in cultural heritage preservation and utilization, improved protection mechanisms, and formulated new work methods, yielding remarkable results in cultural heritage conservation. Sites such as Dawenkou and Daimiao Temple have been revitalized, injecting new vitality into the exploration of the origins of Chinese civilization through major archaeological discoveries and research achievements.

Tai'an is vigorously promoting the empowerment of cultural heritage for high-quality development, advancing the construction of the Dawenkou National Archaeological Site Park, coordinating the implementation of tasks related to the construction of the Yellow River, Grand Canal, and Qi Great Wall National Cultural Parks, facilitating Taishan Mountain's inclusion in the Yellow River World Heritage Tour route, and ushering in a new chapter in the utilization of cultural heritage.