A hoard used in silver transportation found at an ancient battlefield in Meishan, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

According to judge Li Boqian, an archaeology professor from Peking University, the top 10 entries portray silhouettes of the development of Chinese society at different times.

"They compose a concise version of Chinese history," he said.

Scientific, historical and artistic values are all considered when judging the projects. Those providing new understanding of old theories are particularly preferred.

For instance, the discovery of Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) remains, where some oracle bones were unearthed in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, showed that the dynasty's rule extended to today's Northwest China, though orthodox views consider it was mainly based in Central China.