After 13 years of sustained, meticulous research, Chinese scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in ancient genome studies at the Shimao site and surrounding settlements in present-day Shenmu, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. For the first time, conclusive genetic evidence has illuminated the social organization, population dynamics, and long-distance interactions of an early state-level society in northern China dating back roughly 3,800 to 4,300 years. This landmark discovery, announced by the National Cultural Heritage Administration at a thematic press conference on Nov. 27, offers critical scientific support for understanding how the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization took shape in its formative era. The study—conducted by Fu Qiaomei’s team at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Sun Zhouyong’s team at the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology–Northwest University in collaboration with such institutions as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Capital Normal University—marks a significant advance in Chinese archaeological science.

Significance of Shimao site

Situated at the convergence of the Loess Plateau and the Mu Us Desert, the Shimao site is the largest known urban settlement from the late Longshan period (c. 2500–2000 BCE) to the early Xia Dynasty (c. 2070–1600 BCE). Its monumental triple-layered urban layout—featuring Huangchengtai (royal city terrace), the inner enclosure, and the outer enclosure—alongside a sophisticated urban defensive system, high-status structures such as palatial architecture, a massive rammed-earth platform, and a suspected sacrificial precinct, and a wealth of exquisite jades, ceramics, and bone artifacts, collectively reveals a society of extraordinary complexity and formidable resource mobilization capacity. Scholars widely regard Shimao as a pivotal site for understanding the formation of early states and the developmental arc of Chinese civilization.

At the press conference, Shao Jing, deputy director of the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, noted that recent excavations have clarified the internal layout of Huangchengtai as a palatial district. Archaeologists have identified major functional zones—including a large rammed-earth platform, a sacrificial area, and a cemetery—forming a cohesive urban plan that integrates residential, burial, and craft-production activities. These discoveries provide a crucial foundation for examining early palace-city structures across the Hetao region in northwest China. Particularly striking is the recovery of more than 10,000 bone-working artifacts atop Huangchengtai, suggesting the existence of a large-scale state-managed handicraft workshop. Over 110 Shimao-culture tombs have been excavated in the Huangchengtai cemetery, exhibiting pronounced hierarchical differentiation; high-ranking burials contain exquisite jade and ceramic offerings. Together, these findings shed valuable light on the social stratification, organizational structure, and civilizational processes of the Shimao polity.

Yet many fundamental questions about the Shimao people—the builders of this brilliant civilization—remain unanswered: Where did they originate? How did they relate to neighboring populations? And how was their society internally organized and structured? Traditional archaeological methods offered important clues but could not definitively resolve questions of population movement or kinship. The breakthrough application of ancient DNA analysis has now provided the key to answering these long-standing mysteries.

Origins, interactions of Shimao people

Researchers systematically collected human bone samples spanning from the late Yangshao period (c. 5000–3000 BCE) to the main Shimao phase and beyond. Samples came from Shimao’s core zones, nearby satellite sites, and key urban settlements such as Taosi in southern Shanxi Province, yielding a dataset of strong temporal depth and spatial breadth. During analysis, researchers employed self-developed tools for large-scale data modeling, integrating and cross-validating genetic lineages with archaeological indicators such as burial hierarchy, spatial distribution, and sacrificial practices. After more than a decade of systematic work, these combined methods have enabled scholars to “revive” the social landscape of ancient Shimao.

The findings provide clear, scientifically grounded answers regarding the population origins of Shimao. Nuclear genome analysis of 144 individuals from different hierarchical zones within Shimao—including Huangchengtai, the inner enclosure, and the outer enclosure—along with samples from satellite settlements such as Zhaishan and Muzhuzhuliang, shows that the dominant genetic component of the Shimao population closely matches that of late Yangshao groups in northern Shaanxi.

“This result strongly demonstrates that the population of the Shimao culture was primarily of local origin and developed indigenously, confirming the continuity of its cultural and population development,” Fu stated. She noted that this provides compelling genetic evidence for the continuous, localized evolution of Chinese civilization.

At the same time, the study uncovered extensive and close interactions between Shimao and surrounding regions. Genetic analysis indicates shared ancestry between Shimao and the Taosi population in the Central Plains, both tracing their roots to northern Yangshao lineages. A smaller proportion of genetic components from northern steppe populations, as well as from southern coastal rice-farming groups such as those represented by the Xitoucun site in Fujian Province, were also detected in some Shimao individuals.

“This implies that, while maintaining overall stability, the Shimao culture engaged in long-term, low-intensity interactions with populations from the Central Plains, the steppe, and even southern China,” Fu told CSST. Notably, the northward influx of genetic elements from southern rice-farming populations provides new genetic evidence for the spread of prehistoric rice agriculture, she added.

“The formation of Shimao culture and its population demonstrates a dynamic process characterized by ‘a clear primary lineage with multifaceted integration,’” Shao emphasized. “It relied on the local Yangshao population as a stable genetic backbone, while maintaining long-term, multi-layered interactions with agricultural and pastoral populations from the Central Plains, the steppe, and the south. This vividly illustrates the evolutionary picture of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization during its early stages.”