unn an , ▁Gu iz hou , ▁and ▁S ich uan ▁provinces . ▁ ▁R ice ▁appears ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁Early ▁Ne ol ith ic ▁populations ▁of ▁L ij iac un ▁and ▁Y unch any an ▁in ▁China . ▁Ev idence ▁of ▁possible ▁rice ▁cultiv ation ▁from ▁ca . ▁ 1 1 , 5 0 0 ▁B P ▁has ▁been ▁found , ▁however ▁it ▁is ▁still ▁question ed ▁whether ▁the ▁rice ▁was ▁indeed ▁being ▁cultiv ated , ▁or ▁instead ▁being ▁gathered ▁as ▁wild ▁rice . ▁Bruce ▁Smith , ▁an ▁arch ae ologist ▁at ▁the ▁Smith son ian ▁Institution ▁in ▁Washington , ▁D . C ., ▁who ▁has ▁written ▁on ▁the ▁orig ins ▁of ▁agricult ure , ▁says ▁that ▁evidence ▁has ▁been ▁mount ing ▁that ▁the ▁Yang t ze ▁was ▁probably ▁the ▁site ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁rice ▁cultiv ation . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 8 , ▁C raw ford ▁& ▁Sh en ▁reported ▁that ▁the ▁earliest ▁of ▁ 1 4 ▁A MS ▁or ▁radi oc ar bon ▁dates ▁on ▁rice ▁from ▁at ▁least ▁nine ▁Early ▁to ▁Middle ▁Ne ol ith ic ▁sites ▁is ▁no ▁older ▁than ▁ 7 0 0 0 ▁BC , ▁that ▁rice ▁from ▁the ▁Hem ud u ▁and ▁Lu oj ia j iao ▁sites ▁indicates ▁that ▁rice ▁domestic ation ▁likely ▁began ▁before ▁ 5 0 0 0 ▁BC , ▁but ▁that ▁most ▁sites ▁in ▁China ▁from ▁which ▁rice ▁remains ▁have ▁been ▁recovered ▁are ▁younger ▁than ▁ 5 0 0 0 ▁BC . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁Spring ▁and