5. The Zhongcun site in Xiyang county, Shanxi province
The Zhongcun site has revealed the highest status aristocratic cemetery of the late Xia period (c. 21st century-16th century BC) discovered to date. Excavations uncovered six Xia period tombs dating to approximately 1880-1450 BC. Luxury goods, including scallops, turquoise, cinnabar, and lacquerware, show long distance trade with the Erlitou culture — a Bronze Age culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River that existed from the 18th to 16th centuries BC and believed to be associated with the Xia Dynasty — and other regions, demonstrating diverse cultural exchanges.
