The Jiangsu Longnan site of the early Liangzhu culture shows a settlement pattern with the living quarter centered on the river, the houses built on the bankes, and those on the northern bank laid out around a square; the tombs are arranged in groups, with high-rank graves such as 88M1 appearing among them. This phenomenom together with the still higher rank Miaoqian and Mojiaoshan sites in Zhejiang indicates that in the early Liangzhu, there already existed a multi-rank settlement system characterized by sparseness in layout, the multiformity of houses and differentiation between rich and poor within the settlement, which laid a foundation for the subsequent formation of the kingdom and local state and the rise of civilization.