Excavation work at the ancient capital site of the State of Yue in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, Feb 4, 2025. [Photo/Shaoxing Daily]

Two archaeological projects from Zhejiang province — the Dongta Temple site in Jiaxing and the ancient capital site of the State of Yue in Shaoxing — have been shortlisted for the 2025 China Archaeological New Discoveries list, as announced at a national archaeology forum on Feb 4 at the History Research of China.

According to Zhou Kefan, a researcher with the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Dongta Temple is an important historical landmark in Jiaxing and the largest temple complex in the city's suburban area.

Excavations have uncovered a well-preserved and clearly dated Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) pagoda foundation, the first time in China with such a complex structural system. Built using wooden planks, beams, piles, jar foundations, rammed green clay, charcoal, and mortar, the foundation covers about 900 square meters and extends more than six meters deep.

Researchers said the structure fills key gaps in the material record of complex foundation construction in ancient Chinese architecture and demonstrates advanced adaptation to water-rich, soft-soil environments, providing important evidence for the study of Song Dynasty (960–1279) building techniques.

Luo Peng, deputy director of the Shaoxing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said excavations at the ancient capital site of the State of Yue are concentrated in the southern part of Shaoxing's old city, confirming the distribution of Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) remains beneath the area.

For the first time, archaeologists have identified high-status palace platform structures, city walls, and elite ritual remains in the core area of the Yue capital, providing physical evidence of Shaoxing's more than 6,000-year history of human settlement and over 2,500 years of urban development.