New findings shed light on life and death in Shang era

BY ZHANG YU IN SHIJIAZHUANG    |    CHINA DAILY    |     UPDATED: 2026-03-24 09:20

An archaeologist works at the Fuwei site in Laishui county, Baoding, North China's Hebei province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A large settlement and cemetery from the early Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) have been unearthed in Laishui county, Baoding, North China's Hebei province, offering new insights into the region's ancient history.

Dated more than 3,200 years ago, the Fuwei site, located at the foothills of the Taihang Mountains, was excavated continuously by a joint archaeological team from 2023 to 2025.

"We discovered the remains of a wall and a moat dating to no later than the early Shang Dynasty, something we had not anticipated at the start," says Chang Huaiying, the project's lead archaeologist from the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Their foundation is the earliest example of rammed earth architecture ever found in the central-northern part of the North China Plain, he adds, noting that such structures are extremely rare for this period in the region.

Equally significant is a large cemetery linked to the Datuotou culture, a local archaeological culture from the same period. "It is the best-preserved, largest and most complex Datuotou cemetery ever found,"Chang says.

So far, the team has excavated 58 tombs arranged in neat rows and columns, indicating careful planning. "Findings from 2025 show the cemetery's layout. The diversity of burial practices far exceeded our expectations," he says.

The graves reveal varied burial practices, including the first-known evidence of limb dismemberment in this culture. Animal sacrifices were common, particularly the skulls of sheep, cattle and dogs placed on ledges within the graves. One grave contained as many as 12 animal skulls.

Painted pottery excavated from tombs at the same site. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Grave items include pottery, shell ornaments, and small jade and bronze items. Among the most notable finds is a bronze earring shaped like a spring, commonly seen in Bronze Age burial sites in the northern section of the Great Wall area.

"We had hoped to find one in the past two years," Chang recalls."When we finally did last year, there was a collective sense of 'there it is!'"

The site also yielded the northernmost known jade handle-shaped object from this period, he says.

Radiocarbon dating places the cemetery between 1500 BC and 1300 BC, extending the understood timeframe of the Datuotou culture. "This discovery helps fill a gap in the archaeological chronology of the northern edge of the North China Plain," Chang says.

It confirms that Datuotou extended south to the Yishui River valley and lasted until around 1300 BC, directly preceding the Weifang III culture with no chronological gap. The Datuotou and Weifang III cultures are two distinct local cultures that existed successively in this region.

Chang believes Fuwei was a key regional center during the early Shang period, located at the forefront of interaction between the emerging Shang culture and the indigenous Datuotou culture.

Painted pottery excavated from tombs at the same site. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Compared with the sites of the same period in Beijing, Tianjin or northern Hebei, Fuwei shows a much stronger Shang culture influence, creating a unique blend.

"This site provides the most comprehensive and crucial evidence of how the Shang Dynasty managed the northern region and how the indigenous populations evolved," he says.

Further research has begun to reveal aspects of daily life in the settlement. More than 40 researchers and technicians from multiple institutions took part, including specialists from various scientific fields.

Preliminary studies show the settlement practiced dryland farming centered on millet, with no evidence of wheat or rice cultivation.

"Through comprehensive interdisciplinary research, we expect breakthroughs in understanding the social structure, migration patterns, economy, technology and resource use of Datuotou," Chang says. "The entire excavation process of the site brought many pleasant surprises, but also confirmed much of what we thought we knew. Perhaps this is the charm of archaeology."

Wei Yueqi, Zhao Rixi and Sun Ke contributed to this story.