On April 29th, the top ten new archaeological discoveries of 2025 in China, sponsored by the China Cultural Relics Daily and the Chinese Archaeological Society, were announced in Beijing. The 10 selected projects span 120000 years, from the hinterland of the Central Plains to border areas, from prehistoric sites to the remains of historical capital cities, vividly showcasing the diverse and continuous atmosphere of Chinese civilization. They are also the annual achievements of China's archaeological industry. The project team of the unique black rock tool industrial system in the Changbai Mountain Paleolithic Site Group in eastern Jilin Province conducted a survey of over 100000 square kilometers in the Changbai Mountain area, especially conducting scientific excavations on five core sites: Helong Dadong, Helong Jidi, Helong Tiantian Cave, Fusong Fenglin, and Huadian Shoushan Xianren Cave. For the first time, a continuous and complete Paleolithic cultural sequence dating back approximately 220000 to 13000 years has been constructed. Archaeology has proven that Changbai Mountain is not a scattered area passed by ancient humans, but rather a long-term, stable, and high-density human activity. ”Chen Xingcan, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and chairman of the Chinese Archaeological Society, said. The most distinctive cultural label of the site group is the stone tool industry system based on obsidian as the core material. The frequent volcanic activity in Changbai Mountain has nurtured hard and uniformly structured obsidian (volcanic glass), which is one of the most ideal stone tools in the Paleolithic era, forming a unique obsidian stone tool industrial system in China. At the same time, obsidian raw materials from other regions were also discovered in the site, forming a two-way cross regional resource circulation network and filling a key gap in prehistoric cultural exchange in Northeast Asia. The earliest human face and fangs were discovered at the Peiligang Site in Xinzheng, Henan. The Peiligang Site is located at the eastern foot of Mount Song, which is the core distribution area of the Peiligang culture. The late Paleolithic remains are also densely distributed, making it an important area for exploring the transition between the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. The project leader Li Yongqiang introduced that this round of excavation confirmed for the first time the rich and continuous accumulation of late Paleolithic remains in the lower layer of the site. Among them, the earliest ostrich eggshell bead processing site in the Central Plains region restores the ancient life scene of "DIY by hand". The beading and dyeing behavior of ostrich eggshells demonstrate the embryonic stage of ancient aesthetics. The most distinctive relics in the remains of Pei Ligang dating back 8000 to 7600 years ago are the various human faced pottery sculptures with different expressions and simple shapes. Li Yongqiang introduced that these pottery sculptures may have certain magical functions. The "Jie" - shaped crown with human face and fangs in it reminds people of the fangs and divine face of the Gaomiao culture, providing important materials for exploring the origin of prehistoric divine figures. In addition to the earliest human face fangs, this excavation also discovered several "firsts": the earliest remains of red burned earth houses were the source of Yangshao red burned earth house construction; The earliest red mold brewing technology and the earliest small mouthed pointed bottom bottle in the northern region confirm the evidence of the earliest brewing practice using pointed bottom vessels. Chen Xingcan stated that the fixed burial custom of using wine vessels for burial during the Pei Ligang period had a profound impact on later generations, and the use of wine for daily life and funeral ceremonies was an important cultural driving force for the spread of rice agriculture. The Zhengjiagou Site, a representative of the Hongshan Culture in Hebei Province, is located on a highland 100 meters west of Zhengjiagou Village in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. The project leader Zhang Xiaozheng introduced that the No. 1 Jishi Tomb at Zhengjiagou Site is the first typical relic of Hongshan Culture discovered and excavated far away from the traditional core area of Hongshan Culture, dating back to about 5300 to 4800 years ago. This discovery, along with the discovery of over 270 stone mounds and more than 80 sites in the Zhangjiakou area, collectively rewrote people's existing understanding of the Hongshan culture: not only did it extend its historical axis to 4800 years ago, but it also pushed its distribution range southwest by hundreds of kilometers, revealing a new trend of migration and development from northeast to southwest. This batch of relics, represented by the Zhengjiagou site, combines diverse cultural factors and showcases the scene of communication and integration among different human groups in the late Hongshan culture. The remains contain both typical jade artifacts of the Hongshan culture and colored pottery with characteristics of the Miaodigou culture. The encounter between the "rose" patterned painted pottery originating from the Central Plains and the "dragon" shaped jade ware originating from western Liaoning proves that Zhangjiakou is a "three-way intersection" for the exchange of ancient cultures between the Central Plains and the north. In recent years, more than 200 newly discovered stone mounds in the northwest region of Hebei Province have transformed the northern part of Hebei Province from a 'peripheral area' of the Hongshan Culture to an important distribution area and even a regional center of the late Hongshan Culture, breaking through previous academic understanding. ”Professor Zhao Hui from the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University said. The Nanzuo Site in Qingyang, Gansu Province, was located on Dongzhiyuan in Qingyang City, Gansu Province, about 5000 years ago. Archaeologists have uncovered the appearance of a settlement on the Loess Plateau around 5000 years ago. The total area of the site is about 6 million square meters, equivalent to the area of 8 Forbidden Cities. Its multi-layered structure vividly embodies the ancient concept of "choosing the center to live in": the core area is about 300000 square meters, surrounded by a main area of about 2.3 million square meters, forming a star studded and moon like arch guard; Furthermore, within 100 square kilometers of the site, there are multiple site sites distributed in the surrounding terrace area, indicating the existence of a Nanzuo site cluster centered around the Nanzuo site settlement at that time. The core area consists of nine large rammed earth platforms, a large complex of buildings, and a moat. The most eye-catching feature is the No.1 courtyard located in the center of the north, facing south. The project leader Chen Guoke introduced that this large, high-grade rammed earth courtyard with an area of 4000 square meters is the best preserved and largest palace style building seen in China five thousand years ago. Zhao Hui stated that the discovery of the Nanzuo site indicates that five thousand years ago, the Yellow River Basin was not a "marginal zone" for civilization development. It also gave birth to an early state form with complex structures, emerging ritual systems, and strong organizational and mobilization capabilities, which changed the academic community's understanding of the civilization process on the Loess Plateau and the Yellow River Basin. The Zhongcun Site, located in the Zhongcun area of Xiyang County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, has discovered the highest level of late Xia aristocratic tombs. A total of 6 tombs from the Xia period were cleared during this excavation, making it the highest level of late Xia aristocratic tombs discovered so far. The project leader Fan Wenqian introduced that the cultural information revealed in the tombs strongly indicates that there may have been a regional center independent of the Xia Dynasty in the western foothills of the Taihang Mountains. The burial custom of using half cut wooden burial tools, with shells covering the head and cinnabar coating the body, reflects the local cultural characteristics. Technological testing shows that various cultural factors converge here: the unearthed scallops may be shrimp scallops from the Yellow and Bohai Seas, the unearthed cinnabar may come from the Hunan Guizhou region, and the burial equipment and wood used for tomb sacrifices are all local pine trees. The shape of the turquoise inlay unearthed from the Zhongcun site is extremely similar to the bronze plaque decoration in Erlitou. The nobles at the Zhongcun site may have obtained luxury goods from distant places such as Erlitou through trade, "said Fan Wenqian. Wang Wei, a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that the discovery of this site provides an important reference for measuring the high level of civilization development between the Xia culture and the Shang culture. The Zhengzhou Shangcheng Site in Henan Province presents a complete urban layout from multiple dimensions. Located in the central urban area of Zhengzhou, Henan Province, the Zhengzhou Shangcheng Site is currently recognized as the largest and highest level urban site of the early Shang Dynasty, with a total area of over 10 square kilometers. The project leader Yang Shugang introduced that the newly discovered water system, workshops, government warehouses, and sacrificial relics have outlined a clear functional division of the inner city: the southwest is the storage functional area, the southwest corner is the sacrificial field, and the central and southern parts are the handicraft workshop area. There is also a large-scale water network system designed as a whole, reflecting the layout planning concept of Zhengzhou Mall according to functional zoning. Archaeological discoveries have refreshed our understanding of the early Shang Dynasty from multiple dimensions: the largest group of rammed earth building foundations, known as "government warehouses," during the early Shang Dynasty may have been the "national warehouses," providing key empirical evidence for studying the material reserve system and economic management methods of the capital city; The first large-scale urban water network revealed is composed of transformed natural rivers and artificial channels, equipped with stone water retaining walls and diversion facilities, reflecting the advanced urban planning wisdom of ancient people. Technological analysis further reveals that the copper resources held by Zhengzhou Shangcheng have extended as far as the northern Jiangxi region in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, indicating the formation of a strategic resource long-distance circulation network centered on Zhengzhou Shangcheng and covering multiple regions during the early Shang Dynasty. The "Guanzhong Eastern Sample" of the Western Zhou Dynasty's fiefdom system at the Fuping Changchun Site in Shaanxi Province is located in Changchun Village, Zhuangli Town, Fuping County, Weinan City, with a total area of approximately 2.2 million square meters. It is the largest Western Zhou site discovered to date. The project leader Li Yanfeng introduced that the site has a large public cemetery, large-scale residential sites, a "multi palace grid" settlement layout, and a specialized handicraft functional area. Based on the research consensus of the Western Zhou Dynasty's "no fiefdom in the capital", it is inferred that it should be a large mining settlement in the capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Caiyi is the land granted by the Zhou emperor to officials and nobles, including the farmers on the land. According to the investigation of the watershed system, there were about 40 settlements distributed in the Ishikawa River basin in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty, and the Changchun site was the largest in scale and should be the only central settlement. It is located on an important passage connecting the northern part of the Wangji and the Loess Plateau, which reflects the strategic need to strengthen regional governance and defend the capital of Fenghao. Wang Wei said. The residential area of the site covers an area of 2 million square meters, especially the discovery of a regular water network consisting of seven large artificial ditches with three horizontal and four vertical lines, dividing the site into a "multi palace grid" settlement layout, which has not been found in previous Western Zhou settlements. The discovery of the Changchun site provides us with an extremely valuable "sample of the eastern part of Guanzhong" for understanding the state form and political structure of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The earliest and largest Qin Dynasty national engineering site, Langyatai Site, in the eastern region of Qingdao, Shandong Province, is located in the southern part of Huangdao District, Qingdao City. The site faces the sea on three sides and is centered on a mountain peak with an altitude of 183.4 meters. According to literature records, Langya is related to historical events such as the worship of the "Four Masters" of Qi during the Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Tour of Qin Emperor Han Wu. The project leader, Lv Kai, introduced that the site is a high-level architectural complex of "Qin Xiu Han Xiu" consisting of high-rise buildings on the mountaintop and a lower courtyard on the mountain. This confirms the record in the literature that in the 28th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign, "30000 households were relocated to the head of Guizhou" to build "Langya Terrace", and also fills the archaeological gap of high-rise buildings outside Guanzhong during the Qin and Han dynasties. How can we see the high level of buildings on mountaintops? A glimpse can be seen from its drainage facilities. Lv Kai introduced that the planning of the mountaintop building has a complete indoor and outdoor drainage system, consisting of underground pipelines and open ditches on the ground. The planned and orderly drainage system demonstrated the national governance and engineering technology level of the Qin Dynasty. In addition, a large number of architectural relics were unearthed from the site, including exquisite Qin Dynasty Kui patterned large semi-circular tiles and dragon patterned hollow bricks, which are all high-level building components. Professor Huo Wei from the School of History and Culture at Sichuan University stated that as the earliest and largest national project of the Qin Dynasty discovered in the eastern region of China, Langyatai not only confirms the history of the Qin Emperor's Han Wu Eastern Tour, but also showcases the national governance ability, engineering technology level, and cultural integration strategy of the unified Qin and Han dynasties through physical remains. The rare urban evolution samples of the capital city of Yue State and the ruins of Kuaiji County during the Han and Six Dynasties periods in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province are located in the southern part of Shaoxing Ancient City, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City. Archaeological excavations have confirmed that this was not only the capital of the ancient Yue Kingdom, but also the administrative center of Kuaiji County during the Han and Six Dynasties periods