Multiple indicators record human adaptations to climatic change during the Middle Holocene at the Wanbei site in the middle and lower Huai River valley, China

The archaeological sediment successions from the Wanbei site provide an ideal case for reconstructing both natural and human‐induced environmental changes in the middle and lower reaches of the Huai River valley located in the transitional zone of eastern China during the Middle Holocene. The findings of this work, in terms of phytoliths, pollen and spores, and chemical elemental analyses suggest that the climatic conditions that were recorded in the Wanbei profile responded well to broader climatic changes, with an overall warm and humid climate during 5700–5300 a BP, albeit with a cooling trend between 5600 and 5400 a BP. Rice ( Oryza sativa ) was always the main cereal crop in mixed rice‐millet farming owing to warm and humid conditions, although the proportions of broomcorn millet ( Panicum miliaceum ) and foxtail millet ( Setaria italica ) significantly increased during the cooling period. The structural characteristics and adjustments of mixed farming over time show an adaptation strategy in response to the climatic changes at Wanbei. Furthermore, multiple indicators reveal that human activities at the Wanbei site would increase rather than decrease during the cooling period between 5600 and 5400 a BP. This study not only highlights the dynamic nature of early agricultural societies, but also enhances our understanding of their adaptation strategies in response to climatic changes in the middle and lower Huai River valley during the Middle Holocene.