China Focus: Highlights of top 10 archeological finds in 2014

Chinese experts have selected the country's top 10 archeological finds last year. The following are highlights of these discoveries.

1. Palaeolithic sites in Guangdong. More than 60 Palaeolithic sites discovered at Modaoshan Hill and Nanjiang River Basin in the southern Guangdong province show the history of the region's human activity was much longer than people used to believe.

Archeologists collected hundreds of stone artifacts, including stone flakes and hammers, indicating ancient humans lived there as early as 600,000 to 800,000 years ago, compared with the previously thought 130,000 years ago.

2. Dongzhao ruins in Zhengzhou, Henan.Dongzhao ancient city ruins in Zhengzhou cover an area of 6,000 square meters. The ruins dated back to the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty recorded in ancient China.

Interestingly, the relics of three ancient cities in different periods were in stacked on top of one another. A child's bones were also found within the wall of a city site. Archaeologists believe it is related to ancient sacrifice rites.

3. Guojiamiao tombs in Zaoyang, Hubei Province. Archeological workers have found the country's earliest man-made inkstick for writing while excavating a high-rank cemetery group dating back to about 2,500 years ago in Zaoyang, Hubei.

Several traditional Chinese musical instruments, the oldest of their kind, were also discovered. Among them was a Se, a twenty-five-stringed plucked instrument. They were unearthed in good condition at the Guojiamiao tomb group, which covers an area of 1.2 million square meters.

4. The Dabona cemetery in Xiangyun County, Yunnan. Dating back to more than 2,000 years ago, the tomb group provides a glance at the Kunming Kingdom, the most powerful local administration in Yunnan at that time.

More than 280 pieces of artifacts made of bronze, iron, tin, ceramic, stone and wood, including weapons such as a sword and spear, were excavated. The site is important for understanding the bronze culture around the Erhai Lake area.

5. Early porcelain kiln site in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang. Nearly 200 kilns dating back to 1,700 years ago with a large number of celadon porcelain artifacts were unearthed. The kilns were built in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), Three Kingdoms period (220-265), and Western Jin Dynasty (265-316) respectively.

It is the first time Chinese archeologists have discovered ancient kilns of different time periods at the same site. Tonnes of celadon, the signature Yue Kiln product, have been excavated from the site. The wares are of various shapes and are with high quality glaze and exquisite craftsmanship.

The Yue Kilns, which are mainly in Zhejiang Province, were among the world's oldest porcelain kilns. Since the earliest known Yue kilns appeared during the late period of the Eastern Han Dynasty,celadon had seen robust development for about a millennium. The celadon, usually in pale green color, is often compared to jade.

6. Gurugyam Cemetery and Chuvthag Cemetery in Ngari, Tibet. The excavations of the Gurugyam Cemetery and Chuvthag Cemetery in Ngari, Tibet reveal the mystery of the Zhangzhung Kingdom in west Tibet that dates back to 2,000 years ago. The burials yield silks, golden death masks, gilt bronzes, silvers, irons, potteries, beads and massive human and animal bones.

The two cemeteries belong to the same Zhangzhung culture which extends to the whole Himalayan region. The finds showed a possible trade route linking Tibet to other parts of China. According to the findings, 1,800 years ago, people in the Zhangzhung Kingdom had already began to drink tea and raise cattle.

7. Yihenaoer cemetery in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Inner Mongolia. About 1,500 years ago, the tomb group provides evidence for the cultural exchange and trade on the ancient grassland Silk Road route extending from Inner Mongolia to Europe via central, western Asia. Unearthed artifacts such as gold necklaces and glass bowls showed cultural features of countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

8. Ancient large state granary site in Junxian, Henan. The Huiluo Granary and Liyang Granary. are two different types of state granaries along the Grand Canal during the Sui Dynasty (581-618). The excavation of them served the waterway's successful World Heritage listing. Several hundred storage pits were believed at the site. A standard pit is about 10 meters in diameter and 7 to 9 meters in depth.

9. Ancient iron mining sites at Yanqing, Beijing. The mining sites at Dazhuangke consists of iron ore quarries, furnaces, workshops and residential sites. Ten iron smelting furnaces were unearthed. The sites are the largest well-preserved mining area of the Liao Dynasty (916 to 1125).

10. Luxurious chieftain tomb shining with golden artifacts in Zunyi, Guizhou. Three tombs were unearthed in the cemetery of Bozhou Chieftain Yang's family. A tomb belonging to the 14th chieftain Yang Jia and his wife yielded nearly one hundred gold and silver artifacts, including gold cups and plates. Even some of their coffin nails were made of gold and silver. Endi