Yinxu殷墟 · Yīnxū — the buried capital where Chinese writing first surfaces
The excavated capital of the late Shang Dynasty, on the edge of Anyang — where 3,000-year-old oracle bones gave China's Bronze Age its own voice, and the intact tomb of a warrior queen surfaced un-looted after three millennia underground.
Where China's writing system first surfaces from the ground.
Yinxu is the excavated site of the last capital of the Shang Dynasty (about 1300–1046 BC), on the outskirts of Anyang some 500 km south of Beijing. It captures the golden age of early Chinese culture, crafts and science at the height of the Bronze Age — a royal capital whose palace foundations became the prototype for later Chinese architecture.
More than 80 house foundations have been uncovered in the Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area alone, alongside 13 royal tombs, thousands of burial and sacrificial pits, and chariot pits holding the earliest known Chinese animal-drawn carts. The most extraordinary find is the undisturbed tomb of Fu Hao, a Shang queen and military commander, discovered intact in 1976 with thousands of bronze, jade and bone grave goods.
Yinxu's true significance is textual as much as archaeological: over 100,000 inscribed oracle bones recovered here — including more than 17,000 from a single pit, YH127 — carry the earliest known form of Chinese writing, used to record royal divinations to ancestors and gods.
What's actually on the ground.
Yinxu is spread across several fenced excavation areas rather than one compact site; a shuttle bus (included with the combo ticket) links them.
Tap or hover a photo for access details.
Tomb of Fu Hao 妇好墓
The only Shang royal tomb found completely intact and un-looted — that of Lady Fu Hao, a queen and military commander, buried with bronzes, jades and sixteen sacrificed attendants.Discovered 1976 · Dated c. 1250 BC
Yinxu Museum (new building) 殷墟博物馆新馆
A 2024-opened, bronze-tripod-shaped museum hall displaying nearly 4,000 relics, including oracle bones, bronzes and jades, many shown publicly for the first time.Opened Feb 2024 · Area ~22,000 sq m
Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area 宫殿宗庙遗址
The heart of the old capital, with more than 80 excavated house and temple foundations — the layout that shaped later Chinese palace architecture.Foundations 80+
YH127 Oracle Bone Pit YH127甲骨窖穴
The single richest oracle bone find at the site: over 17,000 inscribed pieces recovered from one storage pit, now central to the museum's script displays.Bones found 17,000+ in this pit alone
Chariot and Horse Pits 车马坑
Excavated pits displaying the earliest known Chinese horse-and-chariot burials, part of a wider exhibition of the Shang military.Exhibit Chariot & Horse Relics Hall
Spring and autumn, mild and dry.
April–May and September–October bring the mildest, driest weather for walking between the outdoor excavation areas. Summer in Henan is hot and humid; winter is cold but the museum halls are indoors and comfortable year-round.
Budget more time for the museum than the ruins. Much of the site's power now lives in the 2024 museum building's exhibits rather than the open excavation pits themselves, which can look sparse to visitors expecting standing ruins.
For foreign travelers.
- Book the combined ticket (museum + Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area + royal tombs, ~¥120, valid two days) rather than single-site tickets if you want to see everything.
- Anyang is an easy high-speed rail stop between Beijing and Zhengzhou — pair it with a Henan itinerary rather than a special trip.
- Little English signage exists at the outdoor excavation areas; the new museum has fuller bilingual displays.
- The Fu Hao tomb site itself is modest above ground — most of the queen's grave goods are now displayed in the museum, not at the burial pit.
- Combine with Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang for a deeper Henan history trip.