Coffin chamber M13 Photo: Courtesy of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of ArchaeologyThe highest-ranking noble cemetery complex from the late Xia Dynasty (c.2070BC-c.1600BC) ever discovered has been unearthed at the Zhongcun site in North China's Shanxi Province, expanding research on Xia and Shang (c.1600BC-1046BC) civilizations and early state formation in ancient China, according to a press release that the local institute of archaeology sent to the Global Times on Monday.
Located on a hilly terrace west of the Taihang Mountains and flanked by the Songxi River, the site was excavated in 2024 and 2025 by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology and partner institutions, leading to the discovery of 18 tombs, including six Xia Dynasty burial sites and 12 Warring States Period (475BC-221BC) graves.
"These are the highest-ranking Xia aristocratic tombs discovered so far, indicating that this location was a regional center," the institute said.
The Xia Dynasty is traditionally regarded as China's first hereditary dynasty, though contemporaneous written records are lacking.
The well-organized Xia tombs, concentrated in the western part of the cemetery, feature uniform east-west oriented vertical earthen pits. Researchers recovered nearly 40 sets of artifacts with distinctive local cultural characteristics, including pottery, lacquerware and turquoise ornaments.
Extended regional surveys across the Songxi River valley yielded more than 10 Xia and Shang period sites. Test excavations at nearby relic sites unearthed pottery fragments, stone tools, bronze knives, as well as tin-bronze ingots and smelting residue, providing solid evidence of early metal mining and craftsmanship.
Local copper-iron symbiotic ore deposits confirm exploitation of these resources during the Xia and Shang eras, while typical cultural artifacts found in adjacent counties reveal widespread regional cultural exchange.
Multidisciplinary analyses further decoded the civilization's features. Ancient human remains belong primarily to the ancient population of the Central Plains with minor Mongolian Plateau genetic traits, forming a stable patrilineal clan. The community relied on millet farming and maintained long-distance resource trade networks.
Artifact provenance tests trace scallop shell ornaments to the Bohai Sea, cinnabar to Hunan-Guizhou ore belts, turquoise to the eastern Qinling Mountains area, and coffin timber to local Taihang pine trees. Such diverse materials reflect close interaction among the Taihang foothills, the press release noted.
Lab restoration unveiled refined ritual relics, including a dragon-patterned lacquer cylinder with red and black stripes and an intact lacquer gu vessel (a type of wine vessel). Turquoise plaques from the site match specimens from the Erlitou site, a core Xia cultural relic, proving cross-regional cultural interaction. Radiocarbon dating places the site's active period between 1880BC and 1450BC, aligning with the late Xia Dynasty.
Scholars confirmed the findings have helped reshape academic understanding of Xia-Shang civilizations and reconstruct multi-level settlement patterns on the western Taihang foothills, while offering new insights into social complexity and civilization development in early China.
。

[ 资讯] 日前，一汽-大众汽车有限公司根据《缺陷汽车产品召回管理条例》和《缺陷汽车产品召回管理条例实施办法》的要求，向国家市场监督管理总局备案了召回计划。

召回批次：召回编号S2025M0101I：自2025年7月15日起，召回2018年9月1日至2019年8月19日期间生产的部分速腾(参数|询价)汽车，共计202662辆。召回原因：本次召回范围内的车辆，因轮速传感器外壳材料防潮性能不足，在高温、高湿环境下长期使用车辆，水或潮气可能浸入内部芯片，导致轮速传感器信号超差，防抱死制动系统（ABS）、电子车身稳定系统（ESP）等部分功能停用，存在安全隐患。解决办法：本次召回活动是在国家市场监督管理总局启动缺陷调查的情况下开展的。一汽-大众汽车有限公司将委托一汽-大众授权经销商，对召回范围内的车辆免费更换优化后的轮速传感器，以消除安全隐患。一汽-大众汽车有限公司将通过挂号信等方式通知相关车主召回事宜。