Jilin site selected as one of the top 10 archaeological findings of 2020

Mopan Village Fortress site, located in Tumen, Northeast China's Jilin province, has been selected as one of China's Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries of 2020, according to local media reports.

China's Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries of 2020, this year's version of an annual list often referred to as "the Oscars of Chinese Archaeology", was released on April 13. The list reflects how the civilization formed and grew, by mixing various cultural elements down through the millennia.

The list's 10 outstanding findings are the highlights of more than 1,300 archaeological excavations in China last year, according to Yan Yalin, director of the cultural heritage conservation and archaeology department of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Twenty candidate findings, selected by polls of archaeologists and public votes, entered the final round of appraisals, which was conducted by a panel of 21 judges on Monday and Tuesday. The panel was composed of top-tier scholars from the country's universities, research institutes and museums.

The Mopan Village Fortress site is located on a lone mountain to the south of Mopan Village.

In 2013, the Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology formed an archaeological work team and began an eight-year archaeological excavation of the site. The total excavation area was 6,405 square meters, and more than 5,000 relics of various types were unearthed.

Since 1999, three archaeological discoveries projects in Jilin province have been rated as among China's Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries. These include the Tonghua Wanfa Bozi site, the Longxi ancient city site, and the Antu Changbaishan temple site.