Neolithic workshop and treasures of the Shu Kingdom among findings of the year in China

Beijing, 19 Mar A jade workshop from the Neolithic period and new remains unearthed at the legendary Sanxingdui site are among the most prominent archaeological discoveries in China during the past year, which will help to learn more about the remote past of the Asian giant. The findings are on the recently published list of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which lists the six major annual milestones of archaeology in the Asian country and was disseminated by the official agency Xinhua. The list includes paleolithic remains and new discoveries at the legendary Sanxingdui site, both in Sichuan (southwest); the ruins of a Neolithic Jade workshop in Henan (center); two tomb sites from the Warring States period (475-221 BC) belonging to royalty and nobility found in Jiangxi (southeast) and Hubei (center); and the Tuyuhun royal family tomb complex in Gansu (north). The Henan workshops have helped fill the gap on the jade craft industry during the Neolithic period in the central plains of the Yangtze River, and provide important clues to learn more about the specialization and social division of labor in that period, according to the Academy. Meanwhile, the objects recovered from the ruins of Sanxingdui - including a huge bronze mask - will allow us to expand knowledge about the Shu Kingdom, which dates back between 4,500 and 3,000 years ago and is considered an “important part” of Chinese civilization. The Academy also highlighted the discoveries made at the royal tombs in Tuyuhun - a kingdom close to the Tang Empire (618-907) - that will help enrich and advance research into the existing cultural system along the legendary Silk Road. CHIEF lcl/amg