China's National Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday released some key archeological findings of the several ancient capital ruins dating back to the earliest China dynasties over 4,000 years ago, shedding lights on how the ancient Chinese people used their urban spaces.
The findings were yielded from the significant progresses made by some of the country's most important archeological programs and Wednesday's release focused on the relic sites of some of China's most ancient capital cities originally built in China's first recorded dynasties of Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 BC) and Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), and Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC).
Covering an area of three million square meters, the Erlitou relics site in Luoyang city of central China's Henan Province was thought to be the capital of Xia Dynasty.
Remains of the capital showed that the ancient city had crisscross roads and walls that divided it into four regular grids.
Archeologists believe Erlitou's layout was a manifestation of developed zoning ideas and a mature ruling system, which is considered the defining features of a "dynastic state".
In Anyang City of central China's Henan Province, further unearthing of another archaeological site of Yinxu, or the Yin Ruins, capital of the Shang Dynasty, gave insights into its urban layout, which were largely made up by road networks and ditches.
The relics of the Zhongcun Tomb was found in Xiyang County in north China's Shanxi Province. Built between the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty, it was the largest and the highest-ranking among its kind ever excavated in the eastern part of the Loess Plateau.
Historical ruins showed the burial customs of the people living in the building era of the tomb had strong local characteristics but were also influenced by the cultures of Erlitou and Xiaqiyuan, thus standing as a prime example of cultural integration.
The Sanxingdui ruins found in the Guanghan City of southwest China's Sichuan Province represents one of the most glorious periods of the ancient Shu Kingdom that suddenly disappeared about 2,000 years ago.
Shu civilization spanned the periods across the late Neolithic Age to the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty.
Archeologists have found out the age of the ruins' jade "workshop" and have identified the types of the unearthed jades. Further findings also helped clarify when the two water gates of the ruins were formed, marking an achievement in the discovery of the urban water networks of Sanxingdui.
China releases key archeological findings of its ancient capitals
