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Neolithic
The Neolithic period of Chinese history began around 10,000 BC, and is typically split into three: early (10,000–7,500 BC), middle (7,500–5000), and late (5000–3000 BC) periods, and sometimes a fourth (3000–2000 BC). During the Neolithic, the first Chinese civilizations formed: the northern Yellow River civilizations and southern Yangtze civilizations, named for rivers of the same name. Alongside other cradle of civilizations, China underwent a major Agricultural Revolution, seeing cultivation of millet by 8000 BC and rice by 7000 BC in North and South China respectively. Other early cultivations include various tuber plants by 12,700 BC and soybean by 7000 BC, while wheat, barley and oats appeared much later, around 3000–2000 BC, probably from Central Asian importation.

Unlike other ancient societies, China societies may have developed pottery before agriculture, suggested by remains from the Paleolithic Xianren Cave (18000–7000 BP). Neolithic sites are often differentiated by their remaining pottery artifacts; ....  The earliest of these Nanzhuangtou (10,000) ...

Later in the Neolithic, c. 3500–2000, the use of jade became widespread in the Hongshan and Liangzhu cultures. A staple of Chinese culture, the dominance of jade has led some scholars to characterize its formative period as a "Jade Age".

[Writing]

The Jiahu site is one of the best preserved early agricultural villages (7000 to 5800 BC).

At Damaidi in Ningxia, 3,172 cliff carvings dating to 6000–5000 BC have been discovered, "featuring 8,453 individual characters such as the sun, moon, stars, gods and scenes of hunting or grazing", according to researcher Li Xiangshi. Written symbols, sometimes called proto-writing, were found at the site of Jiahu, which is dated around 7000 BC, Damaidi around 6000 BC, Dadiwan from 5800 BC to 5400 BC, and Banpo dating from the 5th millennium BC.

With agriculture came increased population, the ability to store and redistribute crops, and the potential to support specialist craftsmen and administrators, which may have existed at late Neolithic sites like Taosi and the Liangzhu culture in the Yangtze delta.

The cultures of the middle and late Neolithic in the central Yellow River valley are known respectively as the Yangshao culture (5000 BC to 3000 BC) and the Longshan culture (3000 BC to 2000 BC). Pigs and dogs were the earliest domesticated animals in the region, and after about 3000 BC domesticated cattle and sheep arrived from Western Asia. Wheat also arrived at this time, but remained a minor crop. Fruit such as peaches, cherries and oranges, as well as chickens and various vegetables, were also domesticated in Neolithic China.