The rise and fall of the Liangzhu society in the perspective of subsistence economy

Abstract Based on plant and animal remains unearthed from sites of the Liangzhu culture in the coastal area of eastern Zhejiang, the Taihu plain, and the eastern Jianghuai region, we conclude that the Liangzhu society was agriculture-based, practicing rice farming for grain food and animal husbandry for meat. However, the subsistence economy focusing on rice farming was unbalanced in the Liangzhu cultural area, as evidenced by the exceptionally high proportions of fishing and hunting in certain subregions. Unbalanced subsistence economy confined population growth to limited territories and may have been an obstacle to the formation of multiple centers in the Liangzhu cultural area. The collapse of Liangzhu society may also result from the absence of competitive communication between Liangzhu and other cultures. Confronting with natural disasters or social conflicts due to, for example, food shortage, the controlling elite of Liangzhu society, who had long maintained their power and prestige through a religious system, failed to cope with risks and challenges, eventually leading to the collapse of Liangzhu society (and thus the demise of Liangzhu culture).