China's top 6 list of archaeological discoveries in 2023

Six archaeological discoveries, the earliest of which dates back to the Paleolithic period, have been included in the list of China’s archaeological discoveries for 2023. The list was unveiled at the annual forum on archaeology hosted by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences” on January 30, 2024.

The six discoveries are:

1. The Mengxi River Paleolithic site in Ziyang City, Sichuan Province

Archaeologists discovered traces of human activity dating back more than 50,000 years in Ziyang City, Sichuan Province and unearthed many fragments of stoneware and animal fossils from the Mengxi River site.

2. The Keqiutou Neolithic site group in Pingtan County, Fujian Province

Archaeologists discovered many stone tools at the Keqiutou Neolithic site, dating back to 5,000 to 6,500 years. The artifacts are similar to those found at the Dachakeng ruins in Taiwan, believed to be the home of the ancestors of the Austronesians.

3. The Qujialing Neolithic site in Jingmen City, Hubei Province

Neolithic relics excavated at the Qujialing Neolithic site show that people lived in the area some 5,000 years ago. Among the cultural relics unearthed from ancient houses, storage pits and tombs, painted pottery is perhaps the most famous.

4, The Zhaigou Shang Dynasty site in Qingjian County, Shaanxi Province

The Zhaigou site is considered the richest of all known Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) site in existence, both in terms of size and the number and variety of its artifacts.

The site has revealed a vast area of rammed earth structures, large tombs, small burial grounds, pottery kilns, and other diverse structural remains scattered across 11 neighboring hills. Nine sets of tombs for high-ranking noblemen were also discovered.

5. The Xipang Jingjiao monastery Tang and Song period relics site, Turpan City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The Xipang Jingjiao monastery relics site features a Nestorian monastery dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279) located in Turpan, also known as Turfan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 

The Chinese texts unearthed there, including Buddhist and Taoist manuscripts, as well as Nestorian manuscripts written in the Syriac language, have contributed to the discovery of the origins of civilization in the area, as well as the role the region played in the formation of a unified nation.

6, The Liao Dynasty city ruins in Bailin Left Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Archaeologists discovered the foundations of a large building at an imperial city dating back to the Liao Dynasty (907-1125) in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The building is believed to be an important royal establishment in the capital. Historical records show that the imperial city contained such key structures as temples and academies, which may reveal some insight into the ultimate identity and purpose of the building.

In addition, the Palaeolithic archaeological site near Lake Bogoria in Baringo County in Kenya was selected as the latest overseas archaeological discovery of 2023 involving Chinese researchers.

The site was jointly excavated and researched by the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Luoyang Municipal Institute of Archaeology, and the National Museum of Kenya.

Paleontological and archaeological researchers from both countries have discovered many stone tools from the Paleolithic era in Kenya, offering fresh clues into the origins of modern humans.