Archaeological Discovery Unveils Ancient Capital of Yue Kingdom in China

Beijing, The Gulf Observer: Chinese archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing a cluster of building ruins in Zhejiang Province that are believed to be closely linked to the ancient capital of the Yue Kingdom, predating the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC).

The excavation project, ongoing since 2020 in Shaoxing City of Zhejiang, has uncovered ten large-scale sites across an expansive area of approximately 7 square kilometers. Notable locations within the cluster include Tingshan, Nanshan, and Nanshantou, all situated in close proximity to the royal mausoleum of the founder of the Xia Dynasty (2070 BC-1600 BC).

At the core of the discovery is a 180-cm-thick layer of building remains atop Tingshan Mountain, marking a significant find, according to Xu Xinmin, the researcher from the provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology overseeing the project. The Tingshan Site also revealed quay ruins and ceremonial pits containing sacrificial offerings.

In the southern part of the Tingshan Site, a substantial building foundation was unearthed, featuring delicate lacquer decorations on the pillars. Xu suggested that this building likely served as a high-grade public ritual space during that era.

Excavations at the Nanshan Site unveiled platform-like foundations containing a wealth of artifacts, including pottery, primitive porcelain, metalware, bamboo, woodware, as well as animal and plant remains. Remarkably, the site yielded multiple bronze-ware items, such as a spear and a dagger-axe with character inscriptions indicating royal ownership, along with seven swords.

The diverse range of remains at the Nanshan Site includes bones of cattle, pigs, deer, freshwater fish, and surprisingly, rare bones of horses from the Yue Kingdom and tuna bones, typically found only in deep-sea environments. The discovery also includes the remains of crops, vegetables, and fruits, offering insights into the subsistence economy of the ancient Yue Kingdom.

At the Nanshantou Site, a massive 48-cm-long and 36-cm-wide tile was uncovered, showcasing the grand scale of the building. Preliminary analysis suggests that Tingshan, Nanshantou, and Nanshan are interconnected, forming a functional area for the core region of the Yue Kingdom, potentially representing the kingdom’s capital.

Known collectively as the Tingshan complex, these sites are anticipated to provide invaluable information about the social organization structure, subsistence economy, transportation, trade, and other aspects of daily life before and after the establishment of the Yue Kingdom. Considering the swampy environment of that era, with mountains facing the sea and rivers crisscrossing the territory, researchers are optimistic about unraveling the historical tapestry of this ancient civilization.

Luo Rupeng, a researcher from the same institute, emphasized the significance of the Tingshan complex for the archaeological study of the Shang and Zhou dynasties (1600 BC-256 BC) in Zhejiang.

Since the initiation of excavation work in 2020, local archaeological research authorities, including the Zhejiang provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology, have meticulously explored these sites, covering an accumulative area of more than 20,000 square meters to date. The findings are poised to contribute substantially to the understanding of China’s rich cultural and historical heritage.