CHANGSHA -- Paddy-field remains dating back over 8,000 years have been discovered in Central China's Hunan province, according to the provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institute.

The remains were discovered at the Lijiagang relics site in Lixian county, in the city of Changde, during an archaeological excavation at the site in 2024. The remains, which belong to the period of Pengtoushan culture, a key Neolithic culture, are believed to be the earliest paddy-field remains found so far in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

Researchers said that the new finding provides new archeological evidence for the origin of rice farming and early rice cultivation behavior in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The Lijiagang relics site was discovered in 1984. From 2023 to 2024, the provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institute conducted archaeological excavations at the site. In 2024, archaeologists cleared various types of life and production relics, including two ancient rice-paddy fields, trenches, house sites, pits, ditches, tombs, and unearthed pottery and stone tools.

A narrow, shallow ditch connecting with the field was found among the paddy-field remains, which is believed to be an irrigation ditch. It was also found that the north of the paddy field has an obvious symbiotic relationship with the trench, which is believed to play a role in diverting water.

"The clearly revealed fields and ditches show that the ancestors' rice production had been managed maturely, providing new archaeological evidence for the morphological characteristics of early paddy fields," said Li Yiyuan, a researcher with the institute.