7.Tomb of Marquis of Haihun [Photo/Xinhua]

The excavations of a Western Han Dynasty tomb, a large-scale Neolithic hydraulic project and a famous warship that has been resting in waters since 1894 are among China's top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2015.

A judging panel composed of archaeological authorities and experts from universities and museums announced this year's finalists, which were selected from 25 candidates, in Beijing on Monday.

The annual list, launched by China Cultural Relics News in 1990, not only improves people's knowledge of Chinese history, but it also should raise the public's awareness of the importance of archaeological activities and the protection of cultural relics, said Cao Bingwu, the newspaper's editor-in-chief.

The finds include the unearthed site of the tomb of "Haihunhou", or the Marquis of Haihun, a title given to Liu He (92 BC-59 BC). Liu was an emperor in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) for only 27 days before being dethroned.

Archaeological activities at the cemetery, located near Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, started in 2011. About 10,000 cultural relics, including gold, bronze and jade artifacts, have been unearthed. A selection of these objects now shown at Beijing's Capital Museum has drawn crowds from across the country since the exhibit opened in March.