Two Shanxi ancient sites make national list

The Taosi Site and the Jinyang Ancient City Site in North China's Shanxi province have been included in the first batch of the national list of important major heritage sites, with 36 sites selected nationwide.

The list, announced by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, aims to promote comprehensive coverage of cultural heritage protection planning and ensure integration between cultural heritage protection planning and national land spatial planning. It also coordinates cultural heritage protection with agricultural and rural development and strengthens land use guarantees.

The Taosi Site, located in Taosi township, Xiangfen county, was first excavated in 1978. It has revealed city walls, palace areas, large religious and ceremonial buildings, royal tombs, handicraft workshops, large storage areas, and residential areas. Exemplifying early Chinese civilization, the site demonstrates China's over 5000 years of history.

The Jinyang Ancient City Site, located in Jinyuan district, Taiyuan, consists of three parts: city wall remains, religious temples and monasteries, and tomb sites. In recent years, the archaeological world has been continually amazed by the discovery of the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316) city walls, the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577) Daming Palace site, and many other historical sites.