Top 10 archaeological discoveries offer cultural food for thought

From the ruins of a Han Dynasty city in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to Nanhai One, a salvaged underwater shipwreck from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) off the coast of Guangdong province, other finds from various periods in the list highlight the Silk Road and its maritime counterpart, which contribute to the communication among different cultures.

It is probably a tough decision for judges to list the top 10 as 2019 was a bumper year for Chinese archaeology. Last year, 1,096 archaeological excavations were launched all over China, the most in history, said Song Xinchao, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The annual list was compiled by the Beijing-based newspaper China Cultural Relics News.

Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, this year's appraisal and the announcement of the top 10 were conducted online.

From Friday to Tuesday, daily livestreaming broadcasts of the final round of appraisal were made on the internet. Project leaders of the 20 finalists delivered presentations and had online Q&A sessions with the judging panel. According to official statistics, the five-day livestream attracted over 28 million views in total through multiple online platforms.