Hebei site unveils social structures and lives of Shang and Zhou dynasties

The Zhaoyao site in Wu’an, Handan city, Hebei province, covering 1.1 million square meters, boasts relics dating from early Yangshao Culture to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). The only prehistoric trench in Hebei was also discovered here. In the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) high-rank settlements, houses, pottery kilns, caves and tombs have been uncovered, revealing diverse social structures.

Bronze and pottery ware with arrow icons were excavated in 1960 and 2022, revealing that the site might be the capital of Shi State in the Shang Dynasty. The new archaeological finds at the Zhaoyao site fill the gap in the Shang Dynasty chronicle in Hebei and vividly showcase local people’s lives from more than 3,000 years ago.