THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE WUCHENG CULTURE (IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERCULTURAL CONTACTS BETWEEN BRONZE AGE INHABITANTS OF THE LOWER YANGTZE VALLEY AND INDOCHINA PENINSULA)

In the present paper the author makes an attempt to generalize and analyze the fi nds of the late Neolithic and Paleometal Periods from the Middle and Lower Yangtze. The presence of stable contacts (including ethnologically signifi cant traits) is traced between the ancient cultures of this region and the Indochina Peninsula, inhabited by representatives of Austroasiatic peoples (the Viet, the Khmers). Based on comparisons, the Bronze and Iron Age inhabitants of the major part of South China are concluded to be Austroasian. Particular attention is paid to the Wucheng culture and its complex social structure.