The Shangshan Site is located in Shangshan Village, Huangzhai Town, Pujiang County, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province. It is approximately — years old and is the earliest Neolithic site discovered to date in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is a key national cultural heritage site under the sixth batch of national protection.

年月，时任浙江省委书记的习近平同志作出“要加强对‘上山文化’的研究和宣传”的重要批示。站在保护中华民族“根”和“魂”的高度，浦江县委原常委、宣传部原部长徐利民全身心投入上山文化研究宣传，推动“万年上山”成为闻名全省乃至全国的文化。

On [specific date], Xu Liming passed away due to illness at the age of [specific age]. On [specific date], the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China released his advanced deeds and posthumously awarded him the title of "Model of the Times."

The photo shows Comrade Xu Limin (third from right) accompanying experts on a site visit to the proposed location for the Shanshang Archaeological Museum on a certain date. Photo by Zhang Guoping.

With unwavering confidence, he had a kind of obsession. In the months, the Pujiang County Committee established a leading group for the research, publicity, and construction of the Shangshan culture, with Xu Limin appointed as the executive deputy group leader, taking on the heavy responsibility of promoting the research and publicity of the Shangshan culture. At the beginning of taking over the work, despite facing many pressures and tests, Xu Limin was very determined in his heart. In his notes, he wrote, "The road ahead is long, the key is to set sail," "The confidence in applying for the Shangshan culture's World Heritage status must be firm," and "Our goals should be set even further."

Cadres must not only have broad shoulders to take on responsibilities, but also true skills to accomplish tasks. When Xu Liming first started working on archaeology, cultural relics, and heritage application, he was completely a layman. To learn, understand, and promote the Shangshan culture, he not only filled his office with books on archaeology but also wrote about twenty or thirty related articles, almost becoming a semi-expert.

"Why are you so dedicated?" Xu Liming's wife, Zhou Weihong, once asked him. Xu Liming replied, "I want to accomplish something." Reflecting on her husband's commitment to the Mountain Culture, Zhou Weihong said, "He spent more time on the mountain than he did with our daughter."

Over the years, the Shangshan Site has attracted many experts and scholars for investigation and research. Whenever he had time, Xu Limin would accompany them and provide explanations, effortlessly quoting various data and anecdotes. Many people who met him for the first time thought he was a researcher, "more professional than even the professional guides."

Daring to think and act, he has a spirit of boldness. To advance the application for UNESCO World Heritage status for the Shangshan cultural site group, Xu Liming thought, "It would be great to gain the support of renowned experts like Yuan Longping and Yan Wenming." Acting on this thought, he went to great lengths to contact these experts, making multiple visits to their homes and humbly seeking their advice. Moved by Xu Liming's enthusiasm and persistence, Yuan Longping inscribed the words "Ten Thousand Years of Shangshan, the World's Rice Origin" for the Shangshan site; Yan Wenming not only inscribed "The First Ancient Village of China" for the Shangshan site but also excitedly recorded a video saying, "The world's first in rice agriculture, the world's first in painted pottery, Shangshan is world-class!"

"When applying for World Heritage status for the Shanshan Culture, Minister Xu has a sense of urgency that 'cannot wait for a moment,' propelling us forward," said Jiang Leping, the main discoverer of the Shanshan Culture and a researcher at the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

The year marked the anniversary of the naming of the Shangshan Culture, and Xu Liming proposed to hold an exhibition at the National Museum of China. "If we can exhibit in the national-level museum, the significance is extraordinary!" While others were still hesitating, Xu Liming had already started making contacts and taking action with great enthusiasm.

To organize this exhibition, Xu Limin put in a lot of effort. The nearly pieces of early, middle, and late Shangshan culture artifacts on display were meticulously selected one by one by Xu Limin and his team. He personally checked the placement of each exhibit and the size of the fonts. The exhibition's name, "Rice Origin Illuminates the Dawn," was also determined after Xu Limin and experts deliberated over it repeatedly.

The special exhibition on the Upper Mountain Culture archaeological finds has made a stunning debut, becoming the first "Top 100 Archaeological Discoveries of the Century" in China to be showcased at the National Museum. Due to the excellent exhibition results, the exhibition was extended twice, lasting for over a month in total. Xu Limin happily exclaimed, "We've made it, we've made it!"

For a long time, he has shown perseverance. In undertaking tasks and starting ventures, one must not only achieve tangible and perceptible results, but also do good deeds that lay the groundwork, benefit the future, and are of long-term value. Such latent achievements, Xu Liming has accumulated quite a few.

He spearheaded the development of a "Route Map for the Application for World Heritage Status and Construction for Shangshan" spanning years. "After retirement, my entire second half of life will be closely tied to Shangshan," Xu Liming said with great anticipation for the future of Shangshan culture, "If we ultimately succeed in our bid for World Heritage status, it will have been worth living this life."

"Success does not have to be achieved by me, but struggle must include me." In the final days of his life, Xu Limin was still concerned about the work on the mountain. When his illness was severe and he could not use his phone, he had those around him edit the messages and read them to him for confirmation before sending them out. As soon as his condition improved slightly, he would pick up his phone to arrange work, and even on the eve of his surgery, he was still contacting experts in cultural heritage application through the phone with a hoarse voice, inviting them to come to Pujiang for guidance...

The efforts of Xu Liming and his comrades have made the Upper Shan culture increasingly known to more people, continuously experiencing "high-profile moments." The content of Upper Shan culture has been included in the national compulsory education textbooks, and the Upper Shan site has been successively selected as one of China's "Top 100 Archaeological Discoveries of the Century," listed in the "14th Five-Year Plan" for the protection and utilization of major national sites, and included in the major project of "Archaeology of China," laying a solid foundation for the application for World Heritage status of Upper Shan culture.

In a certain month and year, research teams including the Chinese Academy of Sciences released the latest significant findings on the origin of rice at the Shangshan site in Pujiang County. This achievement was published in the form of a research paper in the internationally authoritative academic journal Science, further confirming that China is the birthplace of rice and that the Shangshan culture holds an important position in the origins of global agriculture.