The Yin Ruins

The Yin Ruins is an ancient capital site of the late Shang Dynasty (1300-1046 B.C.), which is listed as one of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Sites and one of the Key Historical and Cultural Sites under National-Level Protection. Around 1300 B.C., the twentieth king of the Shang Dynasty, Pan Geng, ordered to move the capital from “Yan” (a place in Shandong Province) to “Yin” (around Anyang, Henan Province) and thus set Yin as the capital spanning 255 years with 12 kings and 8 generations. The Yin Ruins is a microcosm of an empire —— across the north and south sides of the Huanhe River of Anyang City, it is an ancient capital site of the late Shang Dynasty, preserves the palace and ancestral shrines area, royal tombs area, and many tribe settlement sites, where abundant relics are discovered, including the family cemeteries, oracle bone pits, copper casting sites, jade-processing workshops, and bone-processing workshops. The Yin Ruins has been confirmed by historical documents, oracle bone inscriptions, and archaeological excavations as the first capital site with 3,300 years of Chinese history. As a cultural heritage, the older its history, the higher its value. The earliest Chinese civilization that is internationally recognized and undisputed is the Shang Dynasty. The Yin Ruins was selected as the first place of the first batch of the Key Historical and Cultural Sites under National-Level Protection in March 1961. The Yin Ruins was also listed in the “World Cultural Heritage List” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2006.