Shang Dynasty relics unearthed in Guangzhou

The discovery of the relics has not only helped fill gaps in Shang Dynasty history in the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City area but has also provided important and valuable evidence for reconstructing the early history of northeastern Guangzhou, the statement said.

"The special archaeological discovery shows that from the late Neolithic age to the early Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), the Jiufo, Zhenlong and Luogang area was an important cultural corridor between the lower reaches of Beijiang and Dongjiang rivers, two major tributaries of the Pearl River, and played an important role in the early development of civilization in the Pearl River Delta," it said.

Archaeological excavations at the Zhuyuanling site have uncovered nearly 1,500 Shang ash pits of different shapes and sizes. Some of the pits, with regular shapes and depths exceeding one meter, should be classified as storage pits or pits for sacrificial purposes.

Excavators have also discovered more than 1,800 column holes of different sizes and depths that have been considered to be related to stilt style architecture or wood railing frame architecture.

There were also 25 gray ditches of varying lengths and depths. They may be related to the natural or artificial water supply and drainage in the production and daily life of our ancestors, the statement said.