History stirs beneath modern streets

To date, more than 500 official wooden and bamboo slips from the Han and Six Dynasties have been unearthed.

"Only the commandery headquarters or official offices could use such custom-made inscribed bricks, and the discovery of official administrative documents confirms this," Li explains.

These artifacts trace the site's administrative continuity from the Qin through the Six Dynasties.

Experts note that earlier studies of Yue archaeology focused primarily on tombs, Yue settlements and water management infrastructure. By contrast, the identification of palace structures and ceremonial spaces marks a significant shift toward understanding the political and cultural core of the vassal state.

Luo Yunbing, a researcher at the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, emphasizes the significance of the ceremonial remains.

The sacrificial complex at Tashan Hechangfang, with its altar, pits and trench forming a carefully planned ceremonial zone, represents a state-level ritual practice with distinctly southern characteristics, Luo says.

The animal remains, he adds, reflect the economic life of the period, with duck bones being particularly rare and worthy of further study.

Li Yanxiang, a professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing's Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, highlights the importance of the tin-plated iron armor scales unearthed at Jizhong.

The plating on both sides, which provided both corrosion resistance and a decorative finish, has not been found elsewhere, Li Yanxiang says.

Luo Rupeng, an official of the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, emphasizes the broader significance of the discoveries.

While the general layout of Shaoxing as the Yue capital has been understood in outline, previous excavations have focused largely on peripheral areas.

Jizhong and Tashan Hechangfang now penetrate the core, providing crucial material evidence of the state's highest echelons and establishing a model for the study and preservation of early cities in Zhejiang's water towns, he adds.