5.Zhouyuan site FILE PHOTO

Another top finding is a hydraulic project of the Liangzhu Culture that dates back about 5,000 years. The hydraulic works, in Zhejiang province, consisted of 11 dikes that jointly protected Liangzhu's ancient city-state from summer floods. Additionally, the dams formed water reservoirs that served as important transportation channels at the time.

Yan Wenming, a professor of archaeology at Peking University, said the continuing excavations of the Liangzhu Culture ruins keep turning up surprises. Yan said the hydraulic site is the only one of its kind in the world.

Also on the list is the excavation of the warship Zhiyuan, found in waters off Dandong in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

The Zhiyuan, a famous vessel of the Beiyang Fleet, sank on Sept 17, 1894, after being bombarded by invading Japanese in the First Sino-Japanese War.

linqi@chinadaily.com.cn