Vessels associated with graves from China’s neolithic (c. 8000–2000 BCE) Majiayao culture are typically decorated on their upper surfaces, suggesting that they were intended to be viewed from above rather than from the side. Archaeologists have found evidence indicating the vessels contained alcohol consumed as part of communal rituals by people standing around them and using long straws to drink. Jars such as this modest example were also placed in tombs together with food, carved jades, bone ornaments, and cowrie shells. The provision of items needed to sustain survival and demonstrate status suggests that people in prehistoric China believed in some manner of existence after death.