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

7. The Changchun site in Fuping county, Shaanxi province

The Changchun site is a large Western Zhou (c. 11th century-771 BC) settlement within the royal domain. It features a planned settlement with over 3,150 confirmed tombs and chariot pits, including 12 large tombs with one tomb passage and a residential area divided by ditches into a "multi grid" pattern. A craft production zone includes pottery, bronze casting, and bone tool workshops. This site fills a long-standing gap in Western Zhou fief archaeology in the eastern Guanzhong plain, offering a crucial sample for understanding the political geography and state structure of the Western Zhou royal domain.