In 22 - 24 April, 2004, the Research Center of Ancient Civilization, IA, CASS, the Suchuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and the Chengdu Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology jointly held the “Symposium on the Civilizing Course in the Upper Yangtze River Valley.” At the meeting, exchanges and discussions were carried out mainly on the following topics: The Neolithic culture in Northwestern China. The southward spread of painted pottery from the upper Yellow River valley. The ritual institution in the Longshan period. Prehistoric city-sites on the Chengdu Plain. An analysis of the Sanxingdui culture elements. A Compositional analysis of the bronzes from the Jinsha site and those from the Three Gorges area. The chronology of the Paleolithic to the Qin-Han cultures in the Three Gorges and Yangtze River area. The origin and development of the Ba people and the Ba culture.
