Chaoyang.

This is Chaoyang in western Liaoning, not Beijing’s Chaoyang District. Niuheliang reveals a late Neolithic ceremonial landscape; North Pagoda preserves successive Buddhist building projects; the region’s Early Cretaceous rocks contain plants and animals from more than 100 million years ago. Niuheliang straddles Lingyuan and Jianping, while fossil-bearing landscapes extend through Lingyuan, Beipiao and Longcheng District.

Ritual, Jade and a Layered City

Niuheliang: A Landscape Built for Ceremony

A row of stones noticed during fieldwork changed how archaeologists understood the Goddess Temple and the hills around it.

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A pale green curled jade carving has a large circular opening, a small gap at the neck and brown patches on its surface.

Niuheliang Jade: Where an Object Lay Matters

A human figure beside the pelvis and a bird beneath the skull reveal why excavation records belong beside beautiful objects.

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A square brick pagoda with closely spaced eaves stands on a raised platform beneath a blue sky.

North Pagoda: A City Folded into a Tower

Successive builders wrapped earlier structures, while a hidden chamber preserved a carefully assembled Buddhist deposit.

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Lives Preserved in Stone

Chaoyang Fossils: The Rock Is Part of the Evidence

A flattened feathered fossil and a three-dimensional skeleton may have reached preservation by very different routes.

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Jeholornis: When Seeds Point to Fruit

A digitally reassembled skull and comparisons with living birds changed the interpretation of an ancient bird’s diet.

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Places

Niuheliang Archaeological Site

Low hills preserve the planned ceremonial spaces and jade-rich burials of late Hongshan society.

Chaoyang Bird Fossil Park

Preserved strata and museum interpretation introduce the region’s Early Cretaceous ecosystems.

Chaoyang North Pagoda

A thirteen-eaved brick tower contains the building history of successive cities and dynasties.

Photo credits and rights

For comparison, a jade pig-dragon from Niuheliang Locality 16, as identified by the provincial heritage authority.Source: Liaoning Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Photographer and image license not stated. · Rights status unknown Photo source ↗ Original aspect ratio retained. Display copies resized only when needed; no enlargement, crop or retouching.
The exterior of Chaoyang North Pagoda.Source: Liaoning Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Photographer and image license not stated. · Rights status unknown Photo source ↗ Original aspect ratio retained. Display copies resized only when needed; no enlargement, crop or retouching.