The Neolithic age in China can be traced back to about 10,000 BC.

[6]
Early evidence for proto-Chinese millet agriculture is radiocarbon-dated to abou
t 7000 BC.[7] Farming gave rise to the Jiahu culture (7000 to 5800 BC). At Damai
di in Ningxia, 3,172 cliff carvings dating to 6000 5000 BC have been discovered, "
featuring 8,453 individual characters such as the sun, moon, stars, gods and sce
nes of hunting or grazing." These pictographs are reputed to be similar to the e
arliest characters confirmed to be written Chinese.[8][9] Excavation of a Peilig
ang culture site in Xinzheng county, Henan, found a community that flourished in
5,500 4,900 BC, with evidence of agriculture, constructed buildings, pottery, and
burial of the dead.[10] With agriculture came increased population, the ability
to store and redistribute crops, and the potential to support specialist crafts
men and administrators.[11] In late Neolithic times, the Yellow River valley beg
an to establish itself as a center of Yangshao culture (5000 BC to 3000 BC), and
the first villages were founded; the most archaeologically significant of these
was found at Banpo, Xi'an.[12] Later, Yangshao culture was superseded by the Lo
ngshan culture, which was also centered on the Yellow River from about 3000 BC t
o 2000 BC.
The early history of China is obscured by the lack of written documents from thi
s period, coupled with the existence of later accounts that attempted to describ
e events that had occurred several centuries previously. In a sense, the problem
stems from centuries of introspection on the part of the Chinese people, which
has blurred the distinction between fact and fiction in regards to this early hi
story.