Since the 20^th century, it has been proven through archeological findings that the Yangtze River valley is the place of origin of the Chinese nation. It is also one of the origin places of Chinese culture. 

More than 7,000 years before present, there had been rice cultivations in Yangtze River regions. And as the economic center had gradually moved southwards since the Sui Dynasty (about 1,400 years ago), the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River became financially developed areas. During Ming and Qing Dynasties, the regions had been the main areas of material contributions to the royal court in northern China. 

The Yangtze River valley was the early man living and evolution venue traced back to 2 to 3 million years before present, i.e., the Paleolithic Age. Human fossils of different ages have been found during archeological excavation activities. In recent years, China found Wushan People (巫山人) who had been active here about two million years ago. In Yuanmo County, Yunnan Province (the upper reaches of Yangtze River), Yuanmo Man, or Yuanmo Ape, from about 1.7 million years before present, is the later stage of ape man. They are maybe earlier than the Peking Ape Man but they could use fire to cook and burn. 

A skull fossil of an ancient man from three to four million years before present was found in Yuanmo County in 1988. The anthropological findings have proven that Central Yunnan Plateau in the upper reaches of Yangtze River had been one of the places of man’s origin on our planet. After the discovery of million-year human tooth fossils in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River in 1975 and 1976, a complete skull fossil of “Southern Ape” (Australopithecine) had been found in the same area in 1988. It was much older that it is one or two million years before present. The skull has been regarded as belonging to Australopithecine, which is the ancestor of man, also known as the upright-stood man. Human fossils from the Stone Age have also been found in Anhui Province in the lower reaches of Yangtze River. These have been the best-preserved man relics discovery hitherto in China. 

There are many stone relics from the Neolithic Age, about 8,000 years before present in the Yangtze River valley found. At that time, people used stonewares, made potteries and began to do textile work. 

Except the Chengdu Plain in Sichuan Province, many ancient relics from the Neolithic Age, such old tombs, daily necessities, production and agricultural tools have been found in central and southwest China. 

The Neolithic culture sequences in the lower reaches of Yangtze River consist of Hemudu, Majiahong (马家洪) and Liangzhu (良渚). The 7,000-year-old Hemudu (河姆渡) Cultural Site was discovery in 1973 in Yuyao (余姚) near Hangzhou Bay in eastern China. There are batches of paddy and their crop husks among the found 7,000 pieces of relics. This gives evidence that Hemudu is the very first place where man grasped the agricultural technique of cultivating rice in the world. Very old wooden architecture was found in Yuyao area too. 

In 1950s, archeologists discovered relic sites from the Shang Dynasty three thousand years ago along the Yangtze River valley. Later, they found that Sichuan area had close cultural tie with Shang. In 1989, utensils made of bronze, jade and ceramic from the dynasty about 3,200 years ago were found in Jiangxi Province in southeast China. 

Great deal of ancient architecture, old graves, stone carvings and statues as well as ancient kilns in the 2,000 years between the Zhou Dynasty and Qing Dynasty are located along the vast area of the Yangtze River valley. Different cultures in the region have tremendously developed and influenced one another. They have given today’s people invaluable material and spiritual heritage.