Yangshao culture (仰韶文化) was a Neolithic culture that existed extensively along the central Yellow River in China. The culture is named after Yangshao, the first excavated representative village of this culture, which was discovered in 1921 in Henan Province. The culture is dated at around 5000 to 3000 BC. It was a society based on millet farming.

The most distinctive feature of Yangshao culture was the extensive use of painted pottery, especially human facial, animal, and geometric designs. Unlike the later Longshan culture, the Yangshao culture did not use pottery wheels in pottery-making. According to archaelogists, Yangshao society was based around matriarchal clans. Excavations found that children were buried in painted pottery jars.

The archaeological site of Banpo village, near X'ian, is one of the most sources of information on Yangshao culture.