Unearthing history's secrets

They are commonly referred to as the Academy Awards of Chinese archaeology. The annual list of the top 10 archaeological discoveries in China for 2015 was released in Beijing on May 16.

The finds cover a time span that ranges from the Paleolithic period to the First Sino-Japanese War in the 19th century.

The final list was picked from 25 candidates, and included finds such as a Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) tomb identified as the burial site of dethroned emperor Liu He in Jiangxi province and a vessel identified as the famous warship Zhiyuan from the Beiyang Fleet, which sank in 1894 off the coast of Liaoning province.

The list also recognized older projects that achieved breakthroughs last year.

Among them was a mining and smelting site in Hubei province. Excavations at the site have been continued since 1970, but last year archaeologists found a laborers' tomb cluster.

Also recognized were the Liangzhu cultural sites in Zhejiang province, which were discovered in 1936.

While finds from the Liangzhu sites have made the top 10 lists many times before, their latest claim to fame is the discovery of a hydraulic project.

The annual listing was launched in 1990 by Beijing-based newspaper China Cultural Relics News, and the jury is composed of archaeological authorities and scholars from leading museums and universities, such as the Palace Museum and Peking University, to make its final selection.

An analysis of the 260 finds that have made the lists since they were launched in 1990 shows that finds from Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong and Shaanxi - all provinces boasting rich historical and cultural legacies - dominate the honor boards.

Interestingly, finds from the well-known Sanxingdui site in Sichuan province, which covers a period from the late Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age, have never made the list. Many remarkable artifacts unearthed there in 1986 surprised the world, and a museum has been built at the site.

Among the finds that were in contention for this year's list were several building foundations and city walls, but they failed to make the cut.

Gao Dalun, who heads the research institute that made the finds there, says he is not surprised that the site lost out, because in recent years there has been a big jump in major archaeological discoveries in the country, making the competition to make the list even fiercer.

He adds that, when it comes to Sanxingdui, people have much higher expectations for it.

"The site covers about 25 square kilometers, and we've only excavated fewer than 10,000 square meters. I believe Sanxingdui has great potential to make it to the list."

Meanwhile, the list has begun to garner growing public attention in recent years. This is partly because of increasing media coverage of excavation sites.

The underwater archaeological excavation of the warship Zhiyuan was broadcast live on television.

Also, carefully curated exhibitions of unearthed objects boost public interest.

The Capital Museum in Beijing is holding two exhibitions, dedicated to finds from the tomb of Marquis of Haihun Liu He and that of a queen who also was a general, Fu Hao of the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC), at the Yin Xu relic site in Henan.

Speaking of what could appear on next year's list, Li Shuicheng, a professor of archaeology at Peking University, says it's difficult to predict what will happen next year because, besides ongoing excavations, accidental finds can always change the scene.

"But above all, the list aims to raise public awareness of cultural legacies and conservation work," he says.

linqi@chinadaily.com.cn

Top 10 finds in 2015

1. Gantangqing Paleolithic sites, Jiangchuan county, Yunnan province

2. Jiangzhuang relic sites of Liangzhu culture, border of Xinghua and Dongtai cities, Jiangsu province

3. Liangzhu hydraulic project site, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

4. Neolithic Age site, coastal area of Hainan province

5. Zhouyuan site, Baoji, Shaanxi province

6. Sifangtang site, Daye, Hubei province

7. Tomb of Marquis Haihun, Nanchang, Jiangxi province

8. Taiji Palace site, Luoyang, Henan province

9. Liao Dynasty imperial concubine tomb, Duolun county, Inner Mongolia autonomous region

10. Warship Zhiyuan, waters off Dandong, Liaoning province