The paper revisits the Kuahuqiao site at Xiaoshan, Zhejiang province, renowned for its early date, extensive cultural deposits, and exceptional finds such as a prehistoric canoe, domesticated rice, and finely crafted pottery. By integrating published research data on the site’s paleoenvironment, resource exploitation, and pottery technology, the authors provide a comprehensive reconstruction of the Kuakuqiao inhabitants’ economic and social practices. Environmental analyses suggest that rising sea levels and a freshwater marsh-scale rice cultivation and domestic livestock. Acorns, foxnuts, and other wild resources constituted staple foods, while domesticated rice might have been used for brewing and feasting, an interpretation supported by refined pottery and evidence of craft specialization. Soil granularity and microfossil studies shed light on fluctuations in sea level, highlighting how resource-rich wetlands led to economic complexity and eventually shaped the settlement’s abandonment. Characterization of the pottery----featuring carbon-seeped black coatings, polished surfaces, and possible resin-based strenthening----further indicates social differentiation and complex food processing methods, consistent with emerging inequality in a sedentary community. Ultimately, the Kuahuqiao case underscores the intricate interplay between enfironmental conditions, technological innovation, and socio-economic development in the early Neolithic of China.