List honoring China's top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2025 released

5. The Zhongcun site in Xiyang county, Shanxi province

The Zhongcun site has revealed the highest status aristocratic cemetery of the late Xia period (c. 21st century-16th century BC) discovered to date. Excavations uncovered six Xia period tombs dating to approximately 1880-1450 BC. Luxury goods, including scallops, turquoise, cinnabar, and lacquerware, show long distance trade with the Erlitou culture — a Bronze Age culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River that existed from the 18th to 16th centuries BC and believed to be associated with the Xia Dynasty — and other regions, demonstrating diverse cultural exchanges.