China's 2003 top 10 archaeology findings
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-04-14 00:29

Leading Chinese archaeological experts have selected 10 finds made last year that have far-reaching significance, as Wen Jiao finds out.

A jar decorated with a red dragon flying above blue waves found at the royal kilns of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), in Jingdezhen, in Central China's Jiangxi Province. [newsphoto]

A panel of leading archaeologists and historians have announced the 10 most important archaeological finds made last year.

The decision, made on Sunday, was difficult because all of the 20-odd candidates made discoveries that add new and important dimensions to the history of the localities and the nation.

After two days of serious discussions, the final list was issued. It was based on the historical, scientific and artistic values of all the findings, said Xu Pingfang, a renowned archaeologist and chairman of the Chinese Society of Archaeology.

The 10 most important discoveries were:

* New finds at Niuheliang site, Lingyuan County, Northeast China's Liaoning Province The New Stone Age site was discovered 20 years ago, when researchers unearthed ruins of a prehistoric kingdom that consisted of altars, temples and tombs. The site dates back between 5,500 to 6,000 years.

Last year, a team of archaeologists started their 16th excavation at the ruins and brought to light more relics, including jade human figurine and jade "dragons.''

* Dashigu city site of Xia Dynasty (21st century-16th century BC) in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan Province

Because of a lack of written records, the Xia Dynasty has remained elusive to contemporary researchers of Chinese history.

However, the Dashigu city ruins, near Mangshan Mountain and the Yellow River in the suburbs of Zhengzhou, offers more evidence that the Xia prospered long before it disappeared into oblivion.

"The position of the ancient city is of great strategic importance, so we think that it may have been a military city or capital of a subordinate kingdom of the Xia Dynasty,'' said Wang Wenhua, a research member with the Zhengzhou cultural relics archaeological research institute.

* Bronze trove in Yangjia Village, Meixian County, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province

The discovery, which hit headlines of major newspapers across the country in January last year, was made by five farmers trying to take some soil from a hill.

Instead of removing a piece of bronze ware they sighted, they guarded the site and brought in professional archaeologists.

A broken statue found among the ruins of the North Sima Gate of the Zhaoling Mausoleum, in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). [newsphoto]

"The researchers made a very professional dig and surveyed the whole area,'' Xu Pingfang explained.

Historians found more than 4,000 Chinese characters inscribed on the bronze pieces of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC).

"Now we have a rich find that will enable us to study a leading family of the dynasty,'' Xu said.

* Bronze workshops in Zhouyuan area, Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province

Zhouyuan have been a treasure trove of ancient bronze ware for decades. Just last week, Xinhua reported that local farmers there unearthed some 80 relics dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty. Two were of bronze. In April last year, archaeologists were delighted to stumble upon the ruins of bronze workshops spreading across Zhuangbai and Lijia villages where, it is thought, this beautiful bronze ware was made.

The researchers named the ruins the Lijia (Li Family) Bronze Workshop. Here they found, among other pieces, pottery moulds with intricate engravings for the making of the bronze pieces.

The discovery of the Li Family bronze workshop ruins showed the high technical standard of bronze production of that period and will contribute greatly to the research of the manufacturing techniques of bronze ware, according to Xu Tianjin, who led a joint team of researchers from Peking University, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Shaanxi Archaeology Research Institute in the excavation.

* Terracotta warrior pits and earthenware kilns of Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) in Weishan, East China's Shandong Province

The discovery has been marked as China's "third-largest pit of terracotta warriors and horses,'' says Professor Cui Dayong of Shandong University, who led the excavations.

* Jin Dynasty (AD 265-420) tomb besides Xiyan (ink-slab washing) Pool, Linyi, Shandong

The tomb, where three children were buried, yielded the largest number of relics from a Jin burial site unearthed so far in the province.

Among the finds, some of which are now listed among the finest cultural relics found in recent years, is a pottery container in the shape of a man riding a lion, worked with great detail. In a suit of armour and staring ahead, the rider has deep, large eyes, a distinct nose, a beard and whiskers.

A pottery container in the shape of a man riding a lion found in a Jin Dynasty (AD 265-420) tomb beside Xiyan (ink-slab washing) Pool, in Linyi County, in East China's Shandong Province. [newsphoto]

The lion he's riding has piercing eyes and a raised head, and is showing its teeth, giving it a fierce look. * Remains of North Sima Gate, Zhaoling Mausoleum of Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) in Shaanxi In Chinese history, the Tang Dynasty is often referred to as a period when ancient Chinese civilization reached its zenith.

However, researchers had little idea how a Tang royal mausoleum was laid out.

Did the designers of the Ming Tombs and Qing tombs in Beijing and Hebei follow in the footsteps of their Tang predecessors?

Excavations at the North Sima Gate to the Zhaoling Mausoleum helped provide significant clues to the study of imperial burials and mausoleum architecture in ancient China, especially in the Tang Dynasty.

* Liao Dynasty (916-1125) tomb in Tuerji Mountains, Tongliao, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region This discovery was the tomb of a Khitan aristocrat and the second well-preserved large tomb from the Liao Dynasty found so far in China.

Here the researchers brought to light a large number of copper, silver, gold, lacquer and wood pieces and silk. Most of the gold and silver ware bore various engravings of animal and human figures.

The tomb owner was found sleeping, wearing 11 layers of clothing in a casket with colour paintings on the outside.

Murals were found on the walls of the tomb chamber.

These relics offer a rich variety of materials for researchers delving into the history of the Khitans and the ethnic group's exchanges with the late Tang Dynasty and early Liao Dynasty.

* City ruins of Jining, of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region These ruins of an ancient city were stumbled upon during a highway construction survey by a team of archaeologists.

The site lay right on the blueprint for the highway between Huhhot, the regional capital and Jining city slightly to its northeast.

The most interesting finds at the ruins were ancient storage spaces. Researchers unearthed samples of pottery and porcelain that originated in the royal kilns of the Yuan Dynasty.

* Royal kilns of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties in Jingdezhen, East China's Jiangxi Province The modern porcelain capital of China has a history that goes back more than 600 years.

Some of the porcelain and pottery ware unearthed are rarely seen anywhere, whether by collectors or museums.

The new findings will provide inspiration for contemporary artists and tradespeople to create work that compares favourably with that of their predecessors.

Close

Today's Top News     Top China News
New policy eases one-child restrictions         Cheney upholds one-China line         Seven Chinese kidnapped in Iraq are freed         Taiwan election recount possible by mid-May         Beijing now nation's 'most wired'         HIV/AIDS sufferers can receive free therapy	President emphasizes grain output vital       Cheney upholds one-China line       Residents' homes sink and swim       Preferential policies for biz starters       Supervision heightened via hotline       Expat front court over visa scam