Archaeologists have discovered more than 50 sites in Zhengzhou from the age of the Five Lords - the legendary rulers from millenniums ago - to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and into the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

Zhengzhou is now the capital of Henan Province.

"We have discovered the sites of many famous capital cities recorded in historical documents," said Zhang Songlin, director of the local cultural relics and archaeological institute. "This includes the city once resided in by Huangdi - the legendary ruler and earliest ancestor of ancient China. We have also found the capitals of the Xia Dynasty (2100-1600 BC) under the reign of Emperors Yu and Qi respectively, and capital cities from the early days of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC)."

Bo, capital of legendary Emperor Tang during the Shang Dynasty, was the first imperial walled city. Its existing remains stretch for 12 kilometers.

Bo, the birthplace of Shang civilization, has an advanced layout and ecological equipment rivaling similar finds from Babylon.

The concentration of ancient city sites in Zhengzhou proves that before the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the first feudal dynasty in Chinese history, the area was once the political, economic, cultural and military heart of China.

"It's mainly because of Zhengzhou's location where the Yellow River flows from the Loess highlands into the North China Plain, an ideal place for an ancient Chinese society," said Zhang.

"The discovery will provide materials for research on China's ancient cities and the origins of Chinese civilization," said Zhu Shiguang, director of the China Ancient City Society and professor of Shaanxi Normal University.

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