The Hemudu culture of eastern China, active around 5000 BCE, is one of the earliest known rice-cultivating societies. Hemudu people lived in stilted houses along the rivers and produced lacquered pottery, woodwork, and textiles. Their culture represents a critical phase in the development of southern Chinese agriculture and craftsmanship. The Hemudu’s advancements in irrigation and rice farming techniques had a lasting impact on Chinese civilization.