Longest city road discovered at 3,000-year-old ancient China capital site

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient city road dating back over 3,000 years at Yinxu, or the Yin Ruins, in central China's Henan Province.

The archaeologists have carried out excavations and confirmed the presence of a north-south main road, featuring a 1.6-kilometer-long ditch and dense wheel ruts on its surface. This discovery marks the longest urban thoroughfare ever found at the site, which had been the capital of the late Shang (Yin) Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.).

The new discovery was revealed at a briefing held by the National Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday, highlighting the latest progress in a project exploring archaeology in China.

This new discovery, along with previously uncovered remains of multiple roads and ditches, reveals an urban road network pattern of the Shang Dynasty capital, featuring a grid of three main east-west roads and three main north-south roads.

Situated in Henan's Anyang City, the 3,300-year-old Yin Ruins is the first documented late Shang Dynasty capital site in China, as confirmed by archaeological excavations and oracle bone inscriptions.