More than 160 historical relics of the Pre-Qin Period, the most well-preserved and best-quality jade bracelet with collar in Guangzhou... On August 27, the Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology introduced the latest findings at the excavation site of the Lanyuanling ancient site in Huangpu district.

(Photo: Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology)

Since June 2021, the Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology has carried out rescuing archaeological excavations on the pre-Qin cultural relics found in Lanyuanling. So far, 50 tombs of the pre-Qin period have been found.

The excavation covers an area of 2,000 square meters. At present, cultural relics from the late Neolithic Age to the Early Shang Dynasty as well as from Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period have been found. There are more than 200 remains such as tombs, ash pits and cellars. Among them, there are 3 tombs, 96 ash pits, 47 pillar caves and 6 ditches from the late Neolithic Age to the Early Shang Dynasty. Another 47 tombs, 23 ash pits and 4 pillar caves were from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. In addition, more than 160 pieces of pottery, proto-porcelain, bronze, jade and other relics were unearthed.

(Photo: Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology)

The relics from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period are mainly tombs and mainly from the early and middle Western Zhou Dynasty. This is the most important discovery in this archaeological excavation, which fills the historical blank of the early and middle Western Zhou Dynasty in the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.

Lanyuanling ancient site is located in the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, situating in the river valley between Liuxi River and Zengjiang River. Based on the archaeological findings in recent years, it can be concluded that this region used to be an important area of human activity and migration in the pre-Qin period. And it played an important role in the early history of the Pearl River Delta and even the Lingnan region.

Over the past decade, the Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology has carried out extensive archaeological work in Huangpu District, especially in the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City. The archaeological discovery provides important materials for studying the early history of the northeast region of Guangzhou and the sinicization of Lingnan region. It also enriched our understanding of the cultural relics here.