Unearthed objects reveal old Yunnan

More than 10,000 bamboo scripts, among which about 1,300 with written characters, and 837 seal impressions dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) have been found in Yunnan province, Southwest China, according to the provincial cultural relics and archaeology institute.

This discovery indicates that the central government of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) exercised its administrative power over Yunnan at that time, serving as important physical evidence for the forming and development of a unified multi-ethnic China.

The artifacts were uncovered in Hebosuo site, Jinning district of Kunming the provincial capital, a core residential area of ancient Yunnan. Since 2021, more than 600 historical sites including ash pits, house ruins, tombs, wells and road ruins have been found at Hebosuo.

Notably, most of the seal impressions unearthed at the site had official seals, with Chinese characters covering the names of 20 out of the 24 counties under the administration of ancient Yunnan, says the institute.

According to historical documents, the Han Dynasty ruled over the region as early as 109 BC and the ancient Yunnan kingdom has since become part of the multi-ethnic China.

Currently, archaeologists are still trying to discover the location of the capital of ancient Yunnan, which is believed to near the Hebosuo site.