All photos are courtesy of Xinhua News Agency

By Ji Jing

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) released China's top six archeological discoveries of 2015 in January. The results were chosen from dozens of candidates by judges from institutions including the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the CASS Institute of Archaeology, Peking University and the National Museum.

1. Neolithic Age sites in Hainan

Three Neolithic era sites--Qiaoshan, Lianziwan and Yingdun--have been discovered through archeological investigation and excavation carried out in the southeast coastal areas of Hainan Province since 2012.

The discovery has filled the void in pre-historical archeological findings in the island province. The chronological order of the three sites was determined through geological studies. The human bones unearthed from the Qiaoshan ruins have provided materials for studying the physique of ancestors in Hainan and the animal remains from the two other sites have offered important materials for studying the natural environment and people's way of living at that time.

2. Jiangzhuang ruins in Jiangsu

Jiangzhuang is the first large Liangzhu culture site discovered north of the Yangtze River. The Liangzhu culture is a Neolithic culture category located around the Taihu Lake in east China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces which dates back 5,300-4,500 years. Previously, all its ruins were found south of the Yangtze.

To date, 280 tombs have been excavated, eight house remains have been found and nearly 1,200 artifacts such as jade, stone, pottery and bone tools have been unearthed.

The discovery of the Jiangzhuang remains has provided precious materials for studying the burial customs and social structure of the Liangzhu culture.

3. Zhouyuan ruins in Shaanxi

Zhouyuan was an important capital during the mid- and late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 B.C.). Archeologists have discovered the ruins of a number of Zhouyuan palaces and temples in Baoji, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, since 1976 and excavated tens of thousands of artifacts. Excavation last year shows that the ruins had complete water networks, which incorporated both natural and artificial water systems.

4. Cemetery of the Marquis of Haihun in Jiangxi

The cemetary, located in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, is considered the best-preserved noble cemetery of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- A.D. 25). It consisted of two main tombs, seven attendant tombs and one funerary pit.

Chinese archeologists started excavating the cemetery in 2011. So far, more than 10,000 precious cultural relics have been unearthed, including gold items, bronze vessels, iron wares, jade articles and textiles.

Archeologists suspected that the main tombs belonged to Liu He, grandson of Emperor Wu, the greatest ruler of the Western Han Dynasty reigning from 141-87 B.C, and his wife. Liu, who served as emperor for only 27 days, was given the title Marquis of Haihun after his dethronement.

5. Ruins of the Taiji Palace in Henan

The Taiji Palace in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, was the main imperial palace from the Wei Kingdom (220-265) in the Three Kingdoms (220-280) to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). A thorough inspection of the site has been carried out since 2012 by a team from the CASS Institute of Archeology.

The palace complex consisted of a main palace in the middle and two smaller halls in the east and west. The three halls covered an area of 8,000 square meters and were located along an axis running in the east-west direction. There were corridors, walls and gates surrounding the three architectures, forming a well-organized massive cluster.

The layout of the complex had a profound influence on the imperial palaces of future dynasties, including the Forbidden City in Beijing, and even spread to other countries in East Asia.

6. Ruins of the Zhiyuan cruiser in Liaoning

The warship, found in 2013 near waters off Dandong in northeast China's Liaoning Province, was confirmed last November to be the Zhiyuan cruiser, a Chinese naval vessel that sank on September 27, 1894, after being hit by the Japanese Navy during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95.

After two years of archeological investigation, the hull of the ship, which measures over 60 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, was unveiled at the end of last year. The ship was seriously damaged and had signs of having been burned in certain parts. Artifacts such as ship components, weapons and personal items were excavated, along with over 60 Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) bronze coins.