Sitai Neolithic site in Shangyi, Hebei

Although decades of acid deposition have apparently not resulted in surface water acidification in China, some surface waters may have the potential trend of being acidified, especially those in southern China. In this paper, a dynamic acidification model-MAGIC was applied to 100 surface waters in southern and northeastern China to evaluate the impact of acid deposition to surface waters and to determine their critical loads of S deposition, both regions having distinguishing soil, geological and acid deposition characteristics. Results indicate that most surface waters included in this paper are not sensitive to acid deposition, with critical loads of S for these waters comparatively high. On the other hand, surface waters in southern China, especially those in Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, are more susceptible to acidification than those in northeastern China, which coincides with their different patterns of soil, geological and acid deposition conditions. Among all the waters, a few small ponds, such as those on top of the Jinyun mountain and Emei mountain, are the most sensitive to acid deposition with critical loads of 1.84 and 3.70 keqha-1.yr-1, respectively. For the considerable ANC remaining in most 100 surface waters, it is not likely that acidification will occur in the near future for these waters.

In the present paper, we have carried out a systematic study of the important archaeological remains recovered from the Neolithic sites in the Kashmir valley that were excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is also evident from the earlier studies carried out by various Scholars that more than fifty-five Neolithic sites were discovered in the Jammu and Kashmir region, and two in the Ladakh region. The Neolithic remains were found at nine sites during the field work but among these only four Neolithic sites were systematically excavated extensively. These are Burzahom, Gufkral, Simthan and Kanispur. The archaeological artifacts reported from these Neolithic sites in the Kashmir valley were mainly pottery, terracotta objects, metal objects, stone objects, paste Objects and semi-precious stones. In the present paper, an analytical estimation of Neolithic culture such as the structural remains, ceramic assemblages, metal objects, terracotta objects, shell objects, bone objects, and stone objects are studied. The information provided in the present paper about the Neolithic culture in Kashmir is based on the excavations of these four Neolithic archaeological sites in Kashmir Valley such as Burzahom, Gufkral, Simthan and Kanispur. Many other Neolithic settlements are reported in the Kashmir valley which are still waiting for the excavation.

From August to October 2007, the Research Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology of Jilin University and Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted a joint rescue excavation in the western part of the Shuangta Site in Baicheng, Jilin Province. Remains from the Phases I and II of the site belonged to the Neolithic Age. The remains of the Phase I include pits, ditches, postholes, potsherd deposits and burials. The surfaces of most of the pottery wares are plain and the shapes are not very regular, and part of the wares’ surface showed that they were constructed by clay barcoiling method. The 14C analysis of the human bones and the TL measurements of the potsherds showed that the date of these remains was at least 10ka BP, which are the earliest Neolithic remains discovered so far in Northeast China. The remains of Phase II found in this excavation were only four burials. The grave goods include pottery wares and jades; the style of the jades is very similar to that of the Hongshan Culture, but the pottery wares have distinctive local characteristics very different from that. The tombs’ structures and the burial customs have even greater differences with that of the Hongshan Culture. Therefore, these remains certainly belonged to a new archaeological culture.

Late Neolithic Plant Remains from Northern China: Preliminary Results from Liangchengzhen, Shandong

INTRODUCTION The Pearl River Delta in Southern China (PRD) is a collective name covering the triangular region around the confluence of the Pearl River system that stretches across Guangdong Province of Southern China. The relocation of manufacturing plants from Hong Kong to Guangdong Province began in the early 1980s (Information Service Department, 2002) and is now virtually complete, leaving Hong Kong with only the related manufacturing services. The PRD region had more than 53,000 of manufacturing establishments in 2001 (Federation of Hong Kong Industries, 2002), while the total export value for the region in the same year accounted for 4.7% of the world merchandise trade (Federation of Hong Kong Industries, 2002). The PRD has thus developed into a very important member of the global manufacturing establishment (Zhao, Lo, & Sculli, 2005). The flow of manufactured items within a company and between companies has now become an important area of research, and at a macro level, these companies play their individual roles along the entire value chain. The structure and nature of the underlying industrial networking strategies has, to the authors' best knowledge, received limited attention from researchers, and a logically defined classification of industrial network strategies is needed in order to obtain a deeper insight into industrial networking. The results presented in this paper, are possibly a first attempt to devise a framework for the development of the associated industrial taxonomy using empirical evidence collected from manufacturing firms in Southern China. The two main industrial zones of Southern China are Hong Kong and PRD, and the taxonomy developed applies to the industrial networks of the manufacturing industries across both zones. Classification in a very broad sense is the grouping of similar objects (Everitt, 1993). It is a rather primitive method for categorizing objects into groups that are characterized by similarities and differences that the other groups do or do not possess to the same extent. Gordon (1996) suggests that the classes are discovered through the process of classification and are unknown a priori. He defines classification as: ... the investigation of a set of objects in order to establish whether or not they fall naturally into groups (or classes, or clusters) of objects with the property that objects in the same group are similar to one another and different from objects in other groups; these groups are unknown at the start of the investigation, and need to be determined. In recent years, cluster analysis has been the main technique used to reveal the underlying structure of various empirically based Operations Management (OM) topics, including advanced manufacturing technology (AMT), quality management system (QMS) and supply networks. Diaz, Machuca and Alvarez-Gil (2003) applied hierarchical cluster analysis to determine the appropriate number of groups for AMT investment patterns in the aeronautical industry. They identified 3 relatively distinct groups: traditionalists, designers, and investors who represent the underlying structure of the industry. Yeung, Chan and Lee (2003) adopted the hierarchical procedures to identify 4 specific groups of electronics manufacturing firms that are significantly different in their practice of QMS. Harland, Lamming, Zheng, and Johnsen (2001) employed cluster analysis to define 4 types of manufacturing firm that have distinct characteristics in supply networking strategies. Evidence of the growing popularity and acceptability of the use of cluster analysis in OM research can readily be found (Miller & Roth, 1994). In order to address network classification in industrial networks, Rudberg and Olhager (2003) suggest two distinct research tracks: supply chain research and manufacturing networks. For the first research track, i.e. research on supply chain, Fisher (1997) proposed two distinct types of supply chain according to the demand nature of the products--functional or innovative products. …

The nature of an Anthropocene has been increasingly discussed and debated in the last two decades, with a focus on the arguments for or against the "Anthropocene" as a geological epoch. Some argue for an onset of Anthropocene between 1945-1964 AD, when intensive atmospheric nuclear testing resulted in peak values of <sup>14</sup>C that is widely recorded in tree rings and sediments, while other scholars argued its beginning may be traced back to the early Holocene. This latter argument is related to the beginnings of significant landscape modification through the development and spread of agricultural practices in old world since 10000 a BP. The Yellow River valley of northern China is the center for the domestication of millet crops (broomcorn millet and foxtail millet), however, the intensification and expansion of millet-based agriculture during the Neolithic period and its impact on the environment has not been well understood. Recent development of archaeometry methods and their application to archaeological research, such as archaeobotanical studies, and carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of human and animal bones unearthed from Neolithic and Bronze sites in north China, has greatly deepened our understanding of the timing of millet-based agriculture and its development. In parallel, the analysis of paleoenvironment proxies including black carbon and pollen assemblages from natural sediments, has shed light on the impact of human slash-and-burn cultivation on their surrounding environments during both prehistoric and historical times. This paper reviews carbon isotope analysis of human, pig and dog bones, and radiocarbon dates from Neolithic sites, and compares them with black carbon content from palaeoenvironment records in northern China, in order to explore the temporal-spatial intensification and expansion of millet-based agriculture in the area and its possible impact on environment. It can be concluded that millet cultivation was an auxiliary subsistence strategy in northern China from 10000 to 7000 a BP with hunting-gathering the primary subsistence strategy, the earliest millet-cultivation might have emerged in eastern Inner Mongolia post 7700 a BP. Millet cultivation transited from a secondary strategy to become dominant in the Guanzhong area of north-central China during 7000-6000 a BP, and probably facilitated the development of early Yangshao culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River valley. Intensive millet-based agriculture emerged and widely expanded across the Yellow River valley in northern China during 6000-4000 a BP. This promoted rapid population growth and cultural evolution in the late Neolithic period, and was key in the subsequent emergence of the ancient Chinese civilization. The temporal-spatial variation of black carbon (EC-soot) corresponds well with the intensification and expansion of millet-based agriculture during Neolithic period. The content of EC-soot increased in sediments of Daihai lake and the Horqin sandy lands in Inner Mongolia from about 7500 a BP soon after farming of millet appeared in Xinglongwa and Xinglonggou sites nearby, which evidently increased in Shaanxi Province of north central China post 6000 a BP, when intensive millet-based agriculture firstly emerged in the area. This suggests millet agriculture production activities exerted significant impact on fire frequency in northern China during the Neolithic, and thus the scale and intensity of the impact of farming increased from that period. This work provides a valuable case study for understanding the temporal and spatial development of millet agriculture, and human-environment interactions in northern China during Neolithic period from an Anthropocene perspective.<br/> © 2016, Science Press. All right reserved.

Soil nitrogen and its fractions between long-term conventional and no-tillage systems with straw retention in dryland farming in northern China

Nitrate (NO3-) leaching and water contamination have become a worldwide concern. In this review, some examples are presented to show the extent and magnitude of NO3- accumulation in the soil profiles and its potential effects on contamination of ground water and surface water under dryland farming in northern China. Climatic and management factors affecting NO3- leaching are also discussed. In northern China, rainfall is relatively sparse, but the high intensity of precipitation and porous soils play an important role in the accumulation of NO3N in soil and its subsequent leaching in the soil profile. There is a risk of nitrate accumulation and leaching when high rates of fertilizer N are applied to improve crop yields, and it becomes even worse when conventional land use is changed from cereal crops to vegetable crops and fruit orchards. Under such conditions, shallow ground water might be polluted by NO3-. This suggests that more attention should be paid to prevent this problem by using best management practices, especially by controlling the amount of N fertilizer input, balanced fertilization, split N application, inclusion of crops with deep taproots in the rotation and minimizing summer fallow (especially tilled) frequency. Key words: Accumulation, contamination, dryland farming, ground water, leaching, nitrate, northern China

Every year archaeologists in China discover numerous rich sites demonstrating significant regional variability in Neolithic cultures, primarily from about 6500 B.C. to 1900 B.C. This paper discusses a topic not covered in detail in current or forthcoming publications, the origins and development of agricultural systems. Recent fieldwork in both northern and southern China suggests that initial steps toward settled agricultural villages began circa 11,000 B.P. I review evidence for the cultivation of millet, rice, and other plants as well as animal husbandry in different regions of China. There are several later Neolithic sites in northern China with evidence for rice cultivation. I suggest how future research projects can investigate regional variation and change over time in subsistence and settlement during the Neolithic Period.

ABSTRACTThe summer precipitation over northern China generally presents an obvious dipole pattern, but the relationship between western northern China (WNC) and eastern northern China (ENC) has experienced a significant interdecadal change, with a significant positive correlation for the periods of 1920s–1940s (P1) and 1980s–2000s (P3), while a negative correlation for 1950s–1970s (P2). Further analyses reveal that the atmospheric circulation and water vapour transport anomalies triggered by the negative phase of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), coupling with an eastward‐propagating Silk Road Pattern‐like teleconnection stimulated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), can jointly produce the favourable conditions for summer precipitation in ENC but unfavourable for WNC during P2, comparing with P1 and P3. This results in a dipole pattern of summer precipitation over northern China, leading to a negative correlation between precipitation in these two regions. During P1 and P3, precipitation anomalies in northern China mainly exhibit strong regional consistency, with primarily positive anomalies during P1 and negative anomalies during P3. However, the instability of the precipitation relationship during P3 is greater than those of P1 and P2, which may be attributed to the enhanced impact of the interdecadal variation of ENSO at the same period.

Effects of different tillage practices on soil water-stable aggregation and organic carbon distribution in dryland farming in Northern China

Mineral dust released from the desert is one of the important components of atmospheric aerosols. Arid and semi-arid deserts, sandy lands in northern China and their adjacent Gobi Desert lands in northern China and neighboring Mongolia (hereinafter referred to as Gobi) are potential sources of mineral dust in Asia. However, there is currently a lack of systematic studies on the characteristics of major elements in the potential mineral dust source area. This study investigates the major elements of 310 surficial sand samples in the stabilized and semi-stabilized dune fields from 12 deserts/sandy land and Gobi in northern China and southern Mongolian Gobi and compiles published data. We identify four regions with distinct geochemical characteristics: (1) Taklimakan, Kumtag and Qaidam deserts in western China; (2) Badain Jaran, Tengger, Hobq, and Mu Us deserts in the central and western regions of northern China; (3) Hulun Buir, Onqin Daga and Horqin sandy lands in northeast China; and (4) Gobi and Gurbantunggut deserts. The spatial distributions of the SiO2 and CaO contents in Chinese deserts are highly variable. The average content of SiO2 generally reflects an increasing trend from west to east, while the average content of CaO shows a decreasing trend from west to east. We demonstrate that the spatial variation of major elements is likely controlled by two key scenarios: the composition of source rocks and the mineral maturity caused by the supply of fresh materials. The SiO2/(Al2O3+K2O+Na2O) ratio of desert sediments is relatively lower in western China and may be caused by high ferric-magnesia and high carbonate minerals; this ratio is relatively higher in the northeast sandy lands and may be linked to a lack of fresh material supply and the presence of high K-feldspar minerals in source rocks. The deserts can be further distinguished by ternary diagrams with SiO2/10-CaO-Al2O3, (K2O+Na2O)-CaO-Fe2O3 and CaO-Na2O-K2O. The comparison of major elements between desert sediments and loess suggests that the western and/or central deserts in China may be the potential provenances of loess on the Loess Plateau.

The adaptation of dryland crops to the climate in southern China

The frequency of extreme drought events in northern China has increased since the mid‐1990s, and such a decadal anomalous trend may have a vital influence on national economics and food supply. Based on the analysis of observational datasets and experiments conducted by a linear baroclinic model, this study claims that the intraseasonal circulation anomalies related to extreme drought are linked to the eastward shift in the negative phase of the summer North Atlantic Oscillation (SNAO). When the SNAO is in a negative phase, the cyclonic eddy‐driven jet can enhance the eastward extension of the North Atlantic jet stream (NAJS), contributing to a closer connection between the NAJS and the Asian‐African jet stream and enhancing the waveguide. The cyclonic eddy in the exit of the jet stream excites anomalous Rossby wave energy that originates from the NAJS exit and spreads to the Caspian Sea, Mongolia, and northern China; this associated wave train, which is similar to the Silk Road Pattern (SRP), enhances the anticyclonic anomaly over northern China, establishing a pronounced link with extreme drought in northern China. Thus, the negative phase of the SNAO may be a contributing driver of extreme drought in northern China.

Allozyme variability at 19 loci affecting 12 enzymes was analyzed electrophoretically in 21 populations from Europe and six populations from the silk road. Most of the populations were polymorphic at seven loci, Dia-2, Got-2, Mdh-1, Mdh-3, Pgm-1, Pgm-2 and Sdh-1. As compared with Chinese populations, European populations have completely lost variability at Adh and 6-Pgdh-1. Populations from southern Europe have less variability than those from other parts of Europe. They have lost variability at Pgm-2 and have a greatly reduced frequency of the F allele at Mdh-1; occasionally, however, they show an increase in the frequency of the U allele at the Got-2 locus. Southern European populations show an increase in the det allele and in grey colored varieties. As a group, European populations show the smallest genetic distance with populations from the silk road and northern China. Combining these genetic findings with written documents and archeological evidence, I conclude that European buckwheat came from northern China via the silk road, and that it changed in many respects within the last 500 years.