Ancient city site to get dedicated museum

TAIYUAN — A new museum is set to open at the 4,300-year-old Taosi relics site in North China. Over 300 items will be on display, shedding light on the life and culture of the area's ancient inhabitants.

Located in Linfen city, Shanxi province, the Taosi site is most likely the ruins of the capital city during the rule of Yao and Shun, two emperors who lived more than 4,100 years ago. The Yaodu district in Linfen is home to Yao's temple and mausoleum.

While it covers an area of 2.8 million square meters, only about 30,000 square meters of the site has been excavated since 1978.

The Taosi culture emerged in the middle reaches of the Yellow River following the rise of the Liangzhu Culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Both sites provide significant evidence for the study of the early states and origins of China's over 5,000 years of civilization.

Archaeological findings indicate that the Taosi culture reached the early stages of both state and civilized society.

"The discovery of walled city ruins and important buildings at Taosi represents a significant breakthrough," says Wang Wei, chief expert in charge of the project tracing the origins of Chinese civilization. Before this project began, large tombs had frequently been found, but city sites and important buildings were rarer, limiting social studies of the period, Wang says.

The Taosi city ruin is known for its functional zoning, with clearly delineated areas for palaces, handicraft workshops, storage, tombs, and sacrificial rituals, resulting in a comprehensive layout of a capital city.

"The main building is located centrally in the north, demonstrating the architectural concept of a hidden central axis," says Gao Jiangtao, a research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The central axis concept was crucial to ancient Chinese urban planning. The UNESCO-listed Beijing Central Axis, initially established in the 13th century, runs for 7.8 kilometers from north to south through the old city of Beijing. It is the world's longest urban axis, and is dotted with distinctive elements of Chinese civilization.

At Taosi, archaeologists uncovered characters on items like flat kettles that predate oracle bone inscriptions, a form of ancient script found on tortoise shells and animal bones.

"This discovery indicates that a small minority in Taosi used characters during that era," Wang says.

The Taosi site presents early evidence of an astronomical calendar in ancient China, with all 24 traditional Chinese solar terms in evidence at its observatory.

"The observatory underscores how the ancient Chinese employed advanced methods to guide agricultural development that embodied their understanding of the universe and reflected ancient pragmatism and innovation," says Gao.

Taosi society was distinguished by its cultural integration and innovation. Experts note that objects like painted pottery are embellished with designs resembling those of other regions, suggesting the absorption of external cultural elements.

"Numerous archaeological findings establish Taosi as a political, economic, military, and religious center over 4,000 years ago, and a prime example of a state capital," Gao says.

Xinhua