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Kevin McSpadden

The past 12 months have been a banner year in Chinese archaeology and palaeontology.
From finding a potential ancient human relative to an “alien civilisation”, some of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs in 2021 involved China.
They helped us learn more about our world long before humans roamed the Earth and told us fascinating stories about where we came from.
Here are eight of the most interesting Chinese archaeology and palaeontology finds for 2021.
The wonderful ruins of Sanxingdui
One of the most remarkable archaeological sites worldwide is the Sanxingdui ruins in central China’s Sichuan province.
Before this year, the site had already revealed incredible artefacts from what experts believe was the Shu civilisation. These bronze-age people had been a myth before the discovery of Sanxingdui.

This year, the world was awed when archaeologists revealed a stunning golden mask that had many people buzzing that it once belonged to aliens, which scientists were quick to dismiss.
Six months later, a better-preserved mask of similar style was revealed to the public, along with a treasure trove of other artefacts.
Finding the ‘Dragon Man’
Technically, the skull that would be nicknamed “Dragon Man” was discovered in 1933, but the person who found it did not think it was overly special, and the skull was reburied for 85 years.
This year, using the same skull, archaeologists announced what they believe is a new species of an archaic human called Homo longi.
Scientists think the species’ brain would have been the same size as Homo sapiens, but the skull has larger eye sockets, a thick mouth and overgrown teeth.

The announcement is not without debate, as many scientists think it might be a Denisova hominins, a previously identified extinct species of human.
Regardless, the skull does provide a lot of evidence that the development of modern humans was not a simple linear evolutionary path but likely involved significant crossbreeding between the species.
Descendants of a primitive Asian population
New research suggests the 4,000-year-old naturally embalmed mummies found in Xinjiang in northwest China were direct descendants of Ancient North Eurasians, an ancient people that had a large footprint in the region.
The paper dispelled theories that they had migrated from Afghanistan, Siberia and central Asian mountains. The mummies were excavated between 1979 and 2017.
These people probably died naturally and were preserved by the arid climate in Xinjiang, allowing scientists to use DNA analysis to pinpoint their ancestors.
Will we find dinosaur DNA soon?
A team of scientists found well-preserved cartilage cells that included an image of a nucleus in a birdlike dinosaur called Caudipteryx.
The nucleus contained “fossilised threads of chromatin”, raising the tantalising possibility that palaeontologists could one day find the remains of dinosaur DNA.

Before this study, palaeontologists had believed that it would be improbable to find fossilised dinosaur DNA because it is too fragile to survive for hundreds of millions of years.
Finding the possible source of the world’s first coins
Archaeologists in central China found a mint that they believe may be the spot where people produced humanity’s first coins.
While the mint itself is long gone, the team found a pit filled with the industrial waste produced by coin production.
If correct, the discovery would mean people began producing coins about a century before initially thought. Currently, the world’s oldest mint was found in the Kingdom of Lydia in what is now western Turkey.

The mint in Lydia is thought to have run sometime between 619BC and 560BC, while the one discovered in central China’s Henan province is estimated to have begun operating between 640BC and 550BC.
Do the Turkish and Japanese languages share a common ancestor?
New research published this year points to the possibility that the founding language of what would eventually split into a distinct group of five diverse tongues originally came from what is now northwest China.
The scientists said genetic, archaeological and linguistic analysis points to the fact that the five Transeurasian languages – Mongolian, Turkish, Tungusic, Japanese and Korean – originated in millet farmers in the Liao valley.
However, the relationship between Transeurasian languages is a source of intense debate, and many scientists hesitate to include Japanese and Korean in the language family.
A bird, oh wait, dinosaur, in an egg
It is widely accepted that modern birds are the descendants of dinosaurs, but the recent discovery of a fossilised embryo solidified the theory.
‘Baby Yingliang’ is the first discovery of a non-avian dinosaur that shares the developmental pattern of birds, notably with its head positioned below its body in the egg and its feet resting on both sides.

The team wrote that this characteristic, called tucking, suggests a strong connection between birds and theropods, the group of dinosaurs that includes the Tyrannosaurus rex.
The fossil is between 66 and 72 million years old and was found in southeastern China.
Rediscovering an emperor
For nearly 1,000 years, Chinese people had believed Emperor Wen, the fifth ruler of the Han dynasty, was buried somewhere in a mountain named the Phoenix’s Mouth outside Xian. It turned out that the actual tomb lay a few kilometres away.
Called Emperor Wen’s Ba Mausoleum, the pyramid-shaped resting place had long been covered by the shifting environment over the centuries, making it hard to pinpoint as a unique archaeological site.
The site started to receive attention when artefacts discovered in the area were of exceptionally high quality for the time.
Emperor Wen is well-received in Chinese history and is considered a leader who oversaw a period of stability and economic growth.


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Egypt reveals restored colossal statues of prominent pharaoh in Luxor

Archaeology and palaeontology

Alien civilisations and a new human: 2021’s eight coolest archaeology and palaeontology discoveries in China

Scientists might have found a new ancestor to humans (left), and the Sanxingdui archaeology site has produced unbelievable artefacts (right). Photo: Handout

The gold masks found in Sanxingdui are believed to be about 3,000 years old. Photo: Xinhua

This skull belongs to what may be an newly discovered species of prehistoric human. Photo: AFP

A 3D rendering of the Caudipteryx. Photo: Shutterstock

This overhead shot might be the first place humans minted coins. Photo: Zhengzhou University

A dinosaur was discovered ‘tucking’ (pictured), strengthening the theory that they evolved from birds. Photo: Julius Csotonyi

Discovery of 5,500-year-old structure in central China offers insights into ancient ‘Painted-pottery Culture’

While it does not look like much, this pentagonal shape is believed to be a 5,500-year-old structure of an ancient Chinese civilisation. Photo: Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Relics of an old stove pit and flue at the Yangshao Culture relic site in Zhencheng villageCREDIT: Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

An unearthed red pottery bowl from the Yangshao Culture relic site in Zhencheng village, Taiyuan CREDIT: Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Chinese farmers recreate Bronze Age gold mask on rice fields spanning 75 football pitches

Yellow, purple and green rice plants recreate the massive mask design and a series of mysterious symbols on a 100-acre field in a village near the Sanxingdui archaeological site. Photo: Red Star News

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2021 shows a golden mask discovered at the No. 3 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

Treasure trove of artefacts revealed at one of world’s most remarkable archaeology sites in southwest China

Some scholars have said the Sanxingdui ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province are more important than the Terracotta Army in Xian. Photo: Xinhua

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2021 shows a head-turned kneeling bronze figure discovered at the No. 4 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- File photo shows the lid of a bronze ware discovered at the No. 3 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute via Xinhua)

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2021 shows a bronze mask discovered at the No. 3 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2021 shows a jade Cong (a jade tube with quadrilateral exteriors), with holy-tree shaped pattern, discovered at the No. 3 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- An archaeologist works at the No. 8 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 2, 2021. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2021 shows a Zun, a traditional Chinese bronze ware, discovered at the No. 3 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2021 shows a jade knife discovered at the No. 6 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

(210909) -- CHENGDU, Sept. 9, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2021 shows a bronze figure discovered at the No. 3 sacrificial pit of the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. More than 500 pieces of relics have been discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site, dazzling archaeologists with their historical value as well as the display of creativity and ingenuity. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

Why China is in love with archaeology and palaeontology

A couple learns about jade clothes sewn with gold wire at the Henan Museum in Zhengzhou, the capital of central China's Henan Province. Photo: Xinhua

The Terracotta Warriors in Xian. Schuman writes: "China was a superpower for almost all of its history, and it wants to be a superpower again.” Royalty-free stock photo ID: 737577031

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== An archaeologist holds a newly excavated gold mask from the Sanxingdui site.

(210102) -- NANJING, Jan. 2, 2021 (Xinhua) -- People view dinosaur fossils at Nanjing Museum during the New Year holiday in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 2, 2021. (Photo by Su Yang/Xinhua)

(210320) -- CHENGDU, March 20, 2021 (Xinhua) -- The excavation cabins of four sacrificial pits are seen at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 10, 2021. Chinese archaeologists announced Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China, helping shed light on the cultural origins of the Chinese nation. Archaeologists have found six new sacrificial pits and unearthed more than 500 items dating back about 3,000 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced in the provincial capital Chengdu. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

(201129) -- LUOYANG, Nov. 29, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists check the site of a tomb uncovered at the Xuyang Cemetery in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Nov. 27, 2020. Chinese archaeologists have uncovered an ancient tomb dating back to the late Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.) at the Xuyang Cemetery in Luoyang. It is thought to be the tomb of a noble or royal of the Luhun Rong people, an ethnic group that immigrated from the northwest and inhabited central China during the period. TO GO WITH: Tomb of ancient tribe noble discovered in central China (Xinhua/Li An)

People think remarkable discoveries are aliens but Chinese archaeologists hope they reveal ancient text

An archaeologist holds a newly excavated gold mask from the Sanxingdui site. Photo: Handout

A statue at the excavation site at the Sanxingdui Ruins, in Sichuan, one of the most important archaeological sites in China and believed to be from a mysterious culture in the 12th to 11th centuries BC, May 28, 2021. 28MAY21SCMP / TOM WANG

The excavation site at the Sanxingdui Ruins, in Sichuan, one of the most important archaeological sites in China and believed to be from a mysterious culture in the 12th to 11th centuries BC, May 28, 2021. 28MAY21SCMP / TOM WANG

Handout image shows a bronze statue discovered in Sanxingdui Ruins. at the the Sanxingdui Ruins, in Sichuan, one of the most important archaeological sites in China and believed to be from a mysterious culture in the 12th to 11th centuries BC.CREDIT: Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

The air control system, at the excavation site at the Sanxingdui Ruins, in Sichuan, one of the most important archaeological sites in China and believed to be from a mysterious culture in the 12th to 11th centuries BC, May 28, 2021. 28MAY21SCMP / TOM WANG

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Discoveries from Sanxingdui and finding ‘Dragon Man’ were particularly notable finds
Other great discoveries include what might be the world’s first coin mint and a possible road to finding dinosaur DNA



The Chinese archaeology and palaeontology world had a fantastic 2021, and here’s a brief glimpse of some of the most exciting discoveries.


Chinese history

History