At the Shangcheng archeological site in Zhengzhou, Henan province, dating back more than 3,600 years ago, the largest early Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) water system remnants were discovered. This fills an important gap in understanding the spatial layout of the southern Shangcheng site.
Two of the ditches were apparently completely constructed by human beings, and one was built on the basis of a natural river channel. The whole system serves the function of drainage and urban zoning, holding significance for research on capital city design from the period.