Fire and flood management of coastal swamp enabled first rice paddy cultivation in east China

Y. Zong (), Z. Chen, J. B. Innes (), C. Chen, Z. Wang and H. Wang
Additional contact information
Y. Zong: Durham University
Z. Chen: Institute for Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University
J. B. Innes: Durham University
C. Chen: Fudan University
Z. Wang: Institute for Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University
H. Wang: East China Normal University

Nature, 2007, vol. 449, issue 7161, 459-462

Abstract: First in the field? Eastern China was an early rice domestication centre, but little is known about its earliest agricultural system. New ecological evidence from the earliest known Neolithic site in eastern China, dated at around 7,700 years ago, suggests that Neolithic communities selected lowland swamps for their rice cultivation. Regular flooding by slightly brackish water was probably prevented by the construction of dikes that prevented major inundation while retaining some nutrient-rich seasonal floodwater. This would have ensured the consistent water regime that rice requires for good crop yields. The site's exploitation ceased when it was overwhelmed by the sea around 7,550 years ago. This means that rice-paddy agriculture is of much greater antiquity than was thought, existing since the transition from Mesolithic hunter–gathering to a settled Neolithic agricultural economy, a key adaptation in human cultural history.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06135

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