On February 19, the “Archaeology Forum of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – New Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2024” was held in Beijing. The Paleolithic site of Dadong in Helong City, Jilin, the Neolithic site of Xiatang in Xianju County, Zhejiang, the Majiayao cultural settlement of Siwa site in Lintao County, Gansu, the Zhouyuan site in Baoji City, Shaanxi, the No. 1 tomb of Wuwangdun in the late Warring States period in Huainan City, Anhui Province, and the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain industry ruins in Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province were selected as new archaeological discoveries in China in 2024.
Jilin and Long City Dadong ruins
Located in Helong City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, the Helong Dadong site is a late Paleolithic wilderness site dating from 50,000 to 15,000 years ago.
Archaeological discoveries of cultural relics from three periods, among them, in the third cultural layer excavated a carving of hematite raw materials, about 17,000 years ago, this carving is very rare, for us to understand the spiritual world and symbolic behavior of ancient human beings, has a very important value.

Stone artifacts excavated in the first phase of the Paleolithic site of Dadong in Helong City, Jilin
Xianju County, Zhejiang, Xiatang site
Located in Xiatang Village, Xianju County, Zhejiang Province, the Xiatang site is a Neolithic settlement site dating back nearly 10,000 years. At present, archaeologists have preliminarily restored the structural layout of the ancient village of Xiatang, which is a major breakthrough in the social organization structure of early rice farming in China.
There is growing evidence that the Xiayu site was based on rice farming, and a series of discoveries have given us a preliminary insight into the state of an early agricultural society. In the future, the further excavation, protection and utilization of the Xiatang site is of great significance for the study of the origin and development of civilization.

Artificial earth platform and artifact pit in the north area of Xiatang site in Xianju County, Zhejiang
Majiayao cultural settlement at Siwa site in Lintao County, Gansu Province
The Siwa site is located in Siwa Mountain Village, Lintao County, Dingxi City, Gansu Province. At present, the exposed area is nearly 4,000 square meters, and a large-scale settlement of Majiayao culture and a large-scale cemetery of Siwa culture have been discovered and excavated.
For the first time, a large “enclosure ditch” with a triple near-square layout was discovered in the prehistoric period. The triple “enclosure (ditch)” is nearly positive as a whole, parallel distribution, right-angle turning, and the shape and layout are quite regular. It was built and mainly used in the Majiayao type period, about 5000 years ago, is the earliest known domestic multiple-near-square large “enclosure (ditch)” structure, for the later (rectangular) square “city” appeared to lay the early foundation, is likely to be the prototype of China’s (rectangular) square “city”.

Pottery excavated from the Siwa site in Lintao County, Gansu Province (imposition photo)
Zhouyuan ruins in Baoji City, Shaanxi
From March to December 2024, archaeologists conducted archaeological excavations at the Zhouyuan site in Qishan (Fufeng) County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, and discovered a large-scale rammed earth building complex of the Wangjiazui Xianzhou culture and a triple city wall from the Western Zhou Dynasty, further revealing the settlement structure of the site in the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Archaeologists found more than 200 pieces of armor and bones in the lower layer of the ditch outside the south wall of the palace, including 30 pieces of oracle bones, and 180 characters were preliminarily identified. Among these oracle bone inscriptions, there are records of the princes of the king’s order, some of which reflect the internal and external service system of the state management in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and some of which reflect the relevant records of the astronomical calendar of the Western Zhou Dynasty, as well as the names of countries, people, and places in the Western Zhou Dynasty, which have extremely high academic value for solving many historical puzzles in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Shaanxi Baoji City Zhouyuan Ruins Wangjiazui No. 1 Building Site
Anhui Huainan City Wuwangdun late Warring States period No. 1 tomb
Wuwangdun Cemetery is located about 150 meters south of Wuwangdun Natural Village, Xuwa Village, Sanhe Town, High-tech Zone, Huainan City, Anhui Province. After nearly five years of archaeological excavation and nearly half a year of data collation, the numbered cultural relics of Wuwangdun No. 1 Tomb have exceeded 10,000 pieces, the number is very large, and the types are all-encompassing, providing rich information for understanding the material civilization of Chu State.
Among them, the No. 1 tomb of Wuwangdun has unearthed a basically complete combination of ritual containers and ritual instruments, which is an important material for discussing the “instrument system” in the funeral system of King Chu. Ceremonial instruments are mainly buried in the North Room and West II Rooms, and the whole picture of the artifact assemblage can be basically restored according to the unearthed artifacts and recovered cultural relics. All ceremonial instruments are practical instruments, with complete articulation components, and some traces of use are visible. Compared with the high-level Chu tombs in the early and middle Warring States period, the appearance of musical instruments has changed greatly, and the large combination bells have been replaced by a large number of silk and bamboo musical instruments, vividly presenting the development and evolution of the ceremonial music culture of Chu during the Warring States Period.
Bronze artifacts unearthed from the No. 1 tomb of Wuwangdun in the late Warring States period in Huainan City, Anhui Province (imposition photo)
Jiangxi Jingdezhen City, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty porcelain industry ruins
Jingdezhen City is an important porcelain production area in China, and there are a large number of porcelain kiln sites in the area.
The excavation in 2024 involves 14 sites, focusing on the development of the porcelain industry in the town (the site of the Imperial Kiln Factory, the site of Luomaqiao, and the site of the Guanyin Pavilion kiln), the raw material source production area (the site of Kaolin porcelain clay mine, the site of the Ming and Qing Dynasty wharves and ancient streets in Dongbu, and the site of the Ming Mine in Dawukeng, Changming), the fuel source production area (Jianxi Wharf, Zhangcunwu Wharf), the road transportation network (Liujiaxia Lane, Zhanjia Xia Lane, Shishixia Lane), and multiple religious beliefs (Siwang Temple, Tianhou Temple, Mosque).
Among them, the archaeological excavations of the Imperial Kiln Factory Site, the Luomaqiao Site and the Guanyin Pavilion Kiln Site reveal the historical changes of the Imperial Kiln Factory in the Ming and Qing dynasties and the development of folk kilns in the town from the Southern Song Dynasty to the modern era. The archaeological excavations of the road traffic network of Liujiaxia Lane, Zhanjia Lane and Shishixia Lane have revealed the urban changes caused by the development of the porcelain industry in Jingdezhen.
Schematic map of the location of the excavation site in the town area of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province in 2024