The third phase of excavation work at Xinjiang's Tangwangcheng site is underway in Tumushuke, with researchers working across the 1.1-million-square-meter Silk Road hub to map walls, strata and foundations. Dating largely from the 5th to 13th centuries, the site has yielded river channels, gates and over 500 artifacts since 2022 – offering key evidence of early central governance and cross-cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road.