Rice Domestication in the Yangtze Delta

Archaeological sites in the lower Yangtze River region of eastern China, including Kuahuqiao and Hemudu in modern Zhejiang Province, reveal evidence of early rice cultivation by sedentary forager-cultivator communities. Analysis of rice spikelet bases shows a gradual transition from wild to domesticated Oryza sativa japonica over millennia. The Kuahuqiao community transformed local vegetation and managed cultivation environments, marking a phase in the domestication process that would eventually sustain billions of people.