China announced significant breakthroughs in its ongoing archaeological projects on Thursday, unveiling new discoveries at ancient sites dating back to the earliest dynasties of Chinese civilization.
The announcement was made by the National Cultural Heritage Administration in Beijing.
At the 3,700-year-old Erlitou site in central China's Henan Province, archaeologists have, for the first time, uncovered the complete layout of a crossroads area with four partitioned wall sections, further shedding light on the multi-grid layout and architectural system of the ancient capital's palace area.
Discovered in 1959, the Erlitou ruins have been identified by archaeologists as one of the capital cities during the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 B.C.), China's earliest known dynasty.
Known as "the earliest China," Erlitou holds significant reference value for studying the origin of Chinese civilization, the rise of kingdoms, the planning of ancient capitals, and other key issues related to the development of Chinese civilization. Its central area currently spans approximately three million square meters.
Meanwhile, at Yinxu, or the Yin Ruins in Anyang, researchers have mapped an intricate network of main roads and ditches north of the Huan River, which once formed the urban framework of the Shang (Yin) Dynasty (1600–1046 B.C.) capital.
"Previously, our work at Yinxu focused on the southern bank of the Huan River, where numerous oracle bones were discovered. However, the northern bank, particularly the area east of the Xibeigang royal tombs, was largely unexplored. Now, we have uncovered a network of roads: three running vertical to the other three, with some large roads stretching over 1.6 kilometers, completely transforming our understanding of the layout of Yinxu," said Wang Wei, a member of the Department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The Zhongcun cemetery in north China's Shanxi Province, dating to the transition between the Xia and Shang periods, has provided valuable insights into high-status burials. To date, archaeologists have excavated five high-status tombs from the late Xia and early Shang periods at Zhongcun. As the largest and most significant burial site from the Xia-Shang transition period in the eastern Loess Plateau, it reflects unique local burial customs while also demonstrating influences from Erlitou culture, providing evidence of cultural convergence.
At the Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province, new findings include jade and stone workshops, building foundations, and large water networks, offering deeper insights into the site's layout and functional zoning.
Artifacts unearthed at Sanxingdui highlight the deep connections between Sanxingdui culture and regions such as the Central Plains, northwest China, and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, emphasizing the interconnected and multi-regional nature of early Chinese civilization.
Spanning 12 square kilometers, the Sanxingdui Ruins are believed to be remnants of the Shu Kingdom, dating back 4,500 to 3,000 years.
Discovered in the late 1920s in Guanghan City, the site is considered one of the world's most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
China unveils key archaeological findings, shedding new light on earliest dynasties
The United States' strikes on Venezuela and its abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday have drawn worldwide condemnations.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has struck Venezuela and captured Maduro, who was flown out of the country along with his wife.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply alarmed by the U.S. military actions, his spokesperson said in a statement.
"The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect -- by all -- of international law, including the UN Charter. He's deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected," said the statement issued by spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
China called on the United States to release Maduro and his wife at once, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Sunday.
China expresses grave concern over the U.S. forcible abduction of the Venezuelan President and his wife and taking them out of the country, said the spokesperson, adding that the U.S. move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
China calls on the United States to ensure the personal safety of Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialog and negotiation, said the spokesperson.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for immediate clarification of the situation around Maduro and his wife after the U.S. aggression against Venezuela.
Russia is "extremely alarmed" by reports of Maduro and his wife's forcible removal from Venezuela during the U.S. action, the ministry said in a statement.
"We call for immediate clarification of this situation. Such actions, if they actually occurred, constitute an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state, respect for which is a key principle of international law," the ministry added.
The ministry also said that the United States committed "an act of armed aggression" against Venezuela, which causes deep concern and condemnation.
The ministry noted that Latin America must remain a zone of peace, and Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive and military interference from outside.
Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday in Havana, the capital of Cuba, to denounce the U.S. military actions against Venezuela and voice support for their Latin American brother in defending its sovereignty.
At the event, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that Latin America is not the backyard of the United States and that it neither accepts nor recognizes the Monroe Doctrine.
Condemning the U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its kidnapping of Maduro, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that such actions blatantly violated international law, and gravely infringed upon the sovereignty of Venezuela, leading to power politics rather than multilateralism and resulting in violence, chaos and turmoil.
He urged the international community to react in a strong manner through the United Nations.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro opposed the unilateral military action, urging de-escalation to protect civilians.
The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday condemned the U.S. actions against Venezuela for violating the country's sovereignty, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
"The DPRK Foreign Ministry strongly denounces the U.S. hegemony-seeking act committed in Venezuela as the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty and as a wanton violation of the UN Charter and international laws," a ministry spokesperson was quoted by the KCNA as saying.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday said on social media that the U.S. capture of Maduro and his wife constitutes a clear violation of international law and amounts to an unlawful use of force against a sovereign state.
He said that the Maduro couple must be released immediately, adding that U.S. actions erode fundamental restraints on the use of power between states and weakens the legal framework that underpins international order.
Within the EU, nations including Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal said they are closely monitoring the situation and called for restraint and solutions based on international law.
The European Parliament criticized the U.S. action as illegal and destabilizing.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on Saturday said on social media that the EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela.
"Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected," she said.
US strikes on Venezuela draw international condemnation
