Widely believed to be a peak of prehistoric painted pottery art, the culture is marked by various pottery types decorated with intricate and exquisite patterns. Majiayao culture was first discovered in 1924. Even after a century of research, people still only had a rough understanding of its time and scope. Without evidence of any large-scale settlement, researchers did not know much about its residential form, or means of livelihood and social structure. This major stride was filled by archaeological efforts on the Siwa site in Lintao county, Northwest China's Gansu province from 2018 to 2024.

Located in the transitional zone between the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the site is on a flat platform in front of the Jiulong Mountain, with the Taohe River, a branch of the Yellow River in its upper reaches, flowing by.