本书以历史文化名城宁波灿烂的史前文明为主题。以河姆渡文化为代表的史前文明，费定了宁波作为长江流域文化发源地的历史地位。本书介绍了河姆渡遗址的考古过程和发现，包括建筑、水稻栽种、家畜期养、采集渔猎、纺纱织布、陶艺漆器、航海造船等，并梳理了河姆渡文化和良渚文化的关系，确立了宁波先民作为百越民族祖先的历史地位，本书具有强烈而独特的地域特色，具有科研价值、艺术价值和文化价值，突出了宁波人民的智慧、创造力，以及与时俱进的精神，本书的英文翻译，对于宁波文化以及浙江文化的外宣，具有重要意义。

Part 1 A Sketch of Ningbo's Historic Cultures
Ⅰ The Hemudu Culture
Ⅱ The Liangzhu Culture
Ⅲ Archeology of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties
Part 2 The Dawn in the East
Ⅰ Environmental Changes
Ⅱ A Marvel in the History of Architecture
Ⅲ A Milestone in Rice Farming
Ⅳ Domestication of Dogs and Pigs
Ⅴ Gathering, Fishing and Hunting
Ⅵ Rice as the Staple Food and Fish as the Main Dish
Ⅶ Wells
Ⅷ Pioneers of Marine Culture
Ⅸ Knitting and Weaving
Ⅹ Handicrafts
Ⅺ Aesthetics
Ⅻ Sun God's Hometown
XIII The Origins and Evolution of the Hemudu Culture
XIV The Integration into the Liangzhu Culture
XV The Ancestors of the Baiyue People
Glossary
译后记