China restores its only Tang Dynasty gold armor, announces major advances in scientific archaeology

On January 14, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences released several major achievements in scientific archaeology and cultural heritage protection in Beijing. After four years of restoration, artifacts unearthed in 2018 from the Xuewei No. 1 Tomb in Dulan, Qinghai Province, have been successfully preserved. Among them was the only surviving Tang Dynasty (618-907) gold armor – a gilded bronze piece reconstructed to reflect the ceremonial style of the Tuyuhun royal family. A lacquer plate once used to hold grapes has also been confirmed to have been crafted using the finest Tang Dynasty gold-and-silver inlay craftsmanship. Scientific analysis has revealed cultural exchanges among different ethnic groups during the Tang period.

Beyond artifact preservation and historical research, the press conference also announced the official opening of the China Animal Resources Specimen Bank. The bank now houses valuable specimens, including the earliest domesticated dog remains from the Nanzhuangtou site in Hebei Province and the earliest domesticated pig remains from the Jiahu site in Henan Province. These finds provide key archaeological evidence for the study of the origins of Chinese civilization.