‘Oscars of Chinese archaeology’ reveals top 10 discoveries in China for 2020

It may not feature the wisecracks of Bong Joon-ho or the uniquely handsome appeal of Joaquin Phoenix, but the “Oscars of Chinese archaeology” is an event that boasts some pretty neat announcements. The event was started in 1990 and aims to promote significant archaeological discoveries announced each year to the Chinese public. This year, the top 10 were announced by China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration. It featured a 21-person judging panel of China’s top scholars and was organised by China Cultural Relic News, which is affiliated with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. We take a closer look at this year’s winners, in no particular order: Gorgeous artefacts from the Sixteen Kingdoms Archaeologists found 278 funeral artefacts at a tomb site called Shaolingyuan in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province in northwest China in recent years. The figurines dated back to the Sixteen Kingdoms period (304-439), and some of them were in excellent condition. A series of figurines of men riding horses were so well preserved they still had paint on them. The Sixteen Kingdoms period was considered a chaotic period of Chinese history where decentralised power resulted in infighting among small dynastic states.The period brought about unification up north and consolidation down south, resulting in two separate territories that would last for about a century during the Northern and Southern dynasties. Tombs that illuminate the Silk Road Artefacts from the 8th century unearthed from Xuewei Tomb No. 1 in China’s northwestern province of Qinghai in December 2020 revealed that the area was an important trading hub along the Silk Road connecting Europe with China. The site, which was earmarked for emergency excavation in 2018 because it had become a target of thieves, featured architecture consistent with styles across from the Tibetan plateau at the time. The relics included stunning gold pieces with embedded gems, fabrics that highlighted the influence of foreign cultures on the area and even grape seeds, a fruit that would not have grown in China at the time. All of these findings suggest that Dulan county had a sophisticated commerce network. Centre of culture from 5,300 years ago Dubbed the Heluo Kingdom, the Shuanghuaishu site in Henan was once home to a civilisation in modern Henan province, central China, 5,300 years ago. Findings from the site were announced in May 2020. It is believed to be the centre of Yangshao culture, a neolithic culture, meaning it may have been the final civilisation of the Stone Age. The site’s crown jewel is a carving of what appears to be a silkworm made out of a boar’s tusk. Archaeologists also discovered nine pots organised to match the Ursa Major constellation, implying that the civilisation used archaeology to manage its agriculture. Relics from the earliest humans in eastern China In late May 2020, archaeologists announced they had found a shell mound estimated to be between 7,800-8,300 years old. The mound, at what is now known as the Jingtoushan shell mound site in Yuyao, Zhejiang province, was discovered during a drilling survey for a factory construction site in the coastal city of Ningbo in the eastern province of Zhejiang. Shell mounds are prehistoric mounds of molluscs and other edible shells that early humans ate as the Ice Age glaciers began to retreat. Other signs of human life often accompany them. The discovery suggests humans lived in Ningbo, already a centre for research on ancient Chinese civilisation, as much as 1,000 years earlier than previously believed. Fortified barns and cellars for storing food In early December 2020, archaeologists at the Shizhuang site in Henan province announced the discovery of 28 structures that they believed to be between 3,700 and 4,000 years old. Some of the structures found at the site were believed to be barns that were once elevated on stilts. The scientists also found what they thought were cellars. Furthermore, there was additional evidence that the area was fortified, with archaeologists hypothesising that it may have been a centre for national food security. Evidence of fire among China’s earliest cavemen The Zhaoguo Cave site, in Guizhou province in southern China, is home to artefacts that date as far back as the Paleolithic period, when humans were hunters and gatherers and made simple tools out of bones. Archaeologists discovered fire relics, tombs, stone carvings and polished bones from this relic of prehistory. They also found strong evidence of the use of fire at the site, which was first discovered in 2018. Scientists believe humans inhabited the cave during the Pleistocene Epoch, more commonly known as the last ice age. Tomb of Luhun Rong nobility or royalty Chinese archaeologists announced in November 2020 that they had discovered a tomb dating back to the late Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC) at the Xuyang Cemetery site in Luoyang, in Henan province. The archaeologists believed the tomb belonged to a member of the nobility or royalty of an ethnic group called the Luhun Rong. They also hypothesised that the person was of high rank in society because the tomb contained bronze bells, chimes, jade, and jewellery that was all well-preserved. The Luhu Rong people were a nomadic tribe that originated in northwest China before later inhabiting the central regions. Grave relics that suggest communication across China Archaeologists at the Sangsdar Lungmgo graveyard site, which was first found in 2017 in the Tibet autonomous region in western China, announced recent discoveries that pointed to frequent communications across the region. The scientists discovered figurines and artefacts made out of gold and silver that spanned hundreds of years, from the 4th century BC to the 7th century AD. Han Guohe, the deputy president of Zhengzhou University, said he believed areas as far as central China, modern Xinjiang and regions south of the Himalayas were in contact with one another. Chu Kingdom ruler’s final resting place Three massive tombs in the mountains surrounding Xuzhou in eastern China’s Jiangsu province have been critical for researchers learning about the early days of the Han dynasty (202BC-220AD). One of the tombs, called the No. 2 tomb, is believed to be the resting place of Liu Yingke. Exploring the tomb, whose findings were announced publicly in March 2020, has helped researchers advance their understanding of Chinese mausoleums. Liu was the second ruler of the Chu Kingdom, which was born out of the civil wars that followed the collapse of the Qin dynasty in a period known as the Chu-Han contention. Liu only ruled for four years before dying suddenly. His successor, Liu Wu, was involved in the Rebellion of the Seven States, solidifying a centralised government after the Han empire defeated the rebellious vassal states. Remnants of a short-lived kingdom Located in Tumen, in Jilin province in northeast China, the Mapucan city ruins are from the early 13th century. They suggest that Mapucan may have been the capital city of a regional government called Dongxia. Archaeologists have recently found more than 5,000 relics at the sites, including seven city gates. The Dongxia regime was founded as a state to rebel against the Jin dynasty when Ghengis Khan and the Mongols began their conquest of China. Dongxia would eventually rebel against Mongols, but its founder, named Puxian Wannu, was eventually captured and killed, marking the short-lived kingdom’s end.