Chapter One focuses on the staging and chronology of archaeological cultures in the Nenjiang River basin. It identifies, for the first time, the “Gucheng remains” dating to the late Shang period, and completes the typo-chronological study of the Xiaolaha culture, Baijinbao culture, and Phase II of the Hanshu culture. It clarifies that the remains represented by the Erkeqian cemetery and Pingyang cemetery correspond to the burial assemblages of the Baijinbao culture and Phase II of the Hanshu culture, respectively. The remains in this region spanning from the Xia Period to the early Han Dynasty are divided into eight stages: (1) Xia to early Shang period (encompassing the early and late phases of the Xiaolaha culture); (2) late Shang period (the “Gucheng remains”); (3) early Western Zhou period (early phase of the Baijinbao culture); (4) middle Western Zhou period (middle phase of the Baijinbao culture); (5) late Western Zhou to late Spring and Autumn period (late phase of the Baijinbao culture); (6) early Warring States period (early stage of Phase II of the Hanshu culture); (7) late Warring States period (middle stage of Phase II of the Hanshu culture); and (8) Western Han Dynasty (late stage of Phase II of the Hanshu culture).