La Jornada: The 10 most relevant Chinese archaeological finds of 2025

Beijing. China announced its list of the top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2025, with finds ranging from the forests of the Changbai Mountains in the northeast to the foothills of the Helan Mountains in the northwest, offering new insights into key chapters of China’s 5,000-year civilization.

The annual list, published by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, is considered one of the most authoritative recognitions in the country in the field of archaeology.

It highlights advances that help resolve long-standing historical questions, ranging from prehistoric human activity and Neolithic urbanization to state policy and craftsmanship of the imperial era.

Paleolithic sites

Among the most notable discoveries is a set of Paleolithic sites in the Changbai Mountains, in Jilin province, northeast China. The project, which covers more than 100 thousand square kilometers, identified more than a thousand new sites with remains of stone tools.

Archaeologists claim that finds made at the site, particularly the unique obsidian tool industry, document technological evolution and human adaptation from approximately 220,000 to 13,000 years ago.

This find is expected to transform academic understanding of prehistoric human activity in Northeast Asia.

Urban planning: 5 thousand years old

The Nanzuo site in Gansu Province, northwest China, has been recognized as a prime example of late Yangshao culture. Spanning some 6 million square meters, it features a large rammed earth complex at its core and a multi-layered settlement design.

Researchers say the site provides evidence that the traditional Chinese urban planning system, based on a central axis model, dates back about 5,000 years.

The findings indicate the early emergence of urban planning and regional political authority on the Loess Plateau. Artifacts such as painted pottery, turquoise, and primitive brick materials show advanced craftsmanship, social stratification, and long-distance exchanges with other regions along the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.

The First Emperor’s Tour Depot

In eastern China, excavations at the Langya Terrace site in Shandong Province provide the first solid archaeological confirmation of historical records describing the eastward inspection tours made by Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor.

The coastal site, surrounded by sea on three sides, is believed to be the oldest and largest state construction project of the Qin Empire discovered in the eastern region of the country.

Scholars say the site illustrates how the Qin and later Han dynasties projected political authority and expanded their maritime knowledge, offering new insight into governance strategies during the formation of a unified empire.

The royal oven of an ethnic minority dynasty

In the Ningxia Hui autonomous region of northwest China, the Suyukou Kiln site near the Helan Mountains has been identified as an official site serving the royal family of the Western Xia dynasty (1038-1227), a regional regime ruled by an ethnic minority.

The site constitutes the largest and best-preserved complex of fine white porcelain kilns discovered in the region, and produced pottery that closely matches that unearthed in the royal tombs and palaces of the Western Xia Dynasty.

According to archaeologists, the kiln was in operation from the early Western Xia period (around 1080) until shortly before the fall of the regime in 1227, providing valuable material evidence of state-controlled production under an ethnic minority regime.

This discovery fills an essential gap in the study of the history of Chinese ceramics and illustrates the transition of Western Xia society from nomadic traditions to a more complex culture based on agriculture and crafts.