Gold masks unearthed at the Gurujiamu Cemetery in Xizang Photo: PROVIDED TO CSST

---

The early Metal Age in China’s Xizang Autonomous Region generally refers to the period spanning from approximately 1500 BCE to just prior to the founding of the Xizang Tubo Kingdom (c. 618–842). This era saw the gradual emergence and flourishing of pastoralism centered on cattle and sheep, highland-barley agriculture, and copper metallurgy across the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. These developments were instrumental in facilitating the permanent settlement of much of the region.

Metal Age findings

In the northern part of the plateau, remnants of Bronze Age cultures, including the Qijia, Kayue, Xindian, and Nomuhong have been discovered. In the Qaidam Basin, located at elevations exceeding 3,000 meters, Nomuhong cultural remains are densely distributed. Recent excavations at the Xiaeryamakebu site, conducted by the Qinghai Provincial Institute of Archaeology in partnership with Northwestern University, have deepened our understanding of Bronze Age cultures in the northern fringe of the plateau.  

In the eastern part of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, stone coffin burial sites continue to be discovered, particularly in Amdo, Nagqu, and Baingoin. These sites mark a significant extension of this burial tradition, which originated in the northwestern Sichuan-Yunnan region and the Hengduan Mountains, into the plateau’s interior. Early metallurgical remains at the Qugong cultural site in Lhasa’s Duilongdeqing district indicate that metallurgical industries were already well-developed in the central areas of Xizang as early as 3,000 years ago.  

From 2012 to 2018, the Institute of Archaeology at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in collaboration with the Xizang Autonomous Region Institute of Cultural Relics Protection, initiated archaeological excavations at several sites in the upper reaches of the Xiangquan River in the Ngari Prefecture of Xizang. Efforts at key sites, including the Gurujiamu Cemetery, the Kaerdong City site, and the Quta Cemetery, yielded significant findings. The Gurujiamu Cemetery, located on the northern bank of the upper Xiangquan River at an elevation of 4,300 meters, revealed 11 tombs of varying sizes, dating back 1,800 to 1,700 years, corresponding to the Eastern Han and Wei-Jin periods in China’s Central Plains. This time frame closely aligns with the period of the ancient Zhangzhung Kingdom (500 BCE–625 CE) in western Xizang, as documented in historical texts. Most of the tombs were secondary burials [where the body is first interred and later exhumed and reburied, often in a different location], containing a range of artifacts such as silk textiles, golden masks, metal tools and weapons, stone tools, bone tools, wooden tools, woven items, pottery, and beads, along with large quantities of human and animal bones. The Gurujiamu Cemetery is likely to have served as a burial site for the upper class of the Zhangzhung Kingdom.

Artefacts introduced from Central Plains via the southern part of present-day Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, including the brocade with the inscription “Wang-hou” (Prince or Noble in Han Chinese script) and patterns of birds and beasts, as well as lacquerware and tea, reveal the profound influence of the ancient Silk Road. The opening of the “Qinghai-Xizang Plateau Silk Road” [a concept proposed by Professor Huo Wei, in reference to ancient channels of contact and exchange between the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the outside world] and the influx of various goods contributed greatly to the social development of western Xizang.  

Since 2018, multiple archaeological teams have conducted excavations around Zanda County in the upper reaches of the Xiangquan River, uncovering sites such as the Gebusailu Cemetery, Piyangdongga site and burial complex, Sandalongguo Cemetery, Sazha Cemetery, as well as the Pulanzongduo, Rituridong, and Gaizementu cemeteries. Despite their proximity, these sites exhibit a cultural landscape closely resembling that of the Gurujiamu and Quta cemeteries, reflecting the archaeological culture of western Xizang from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd–5th century CE.  

While western Xizang’s archaeological culture is characterized by diversity and complexity, its ancient populations maintained a relatively simple demographic structure. DNA research reveals that these populations were primarily of East Asian and North Asian origin, closely related to today’s Xizang and some southwestern ethnic groups in China. Genetic continuity has been preserved in the region since at least the 5th century BCE. Although populations of the Indus River Valley in South Asia exerted some influence on western Xizang around the 1st century CE, this impact was minimal. Unlike the circulation of goods, which often traversed the Himalayas, genetic exchange occurred indirectly via Central Asia. Notably, mitochondrial DNA haplogroups common in South Asia have not been detected in the Xizang gene pool, underscoring the Himalayas’ role as a significant genetic barrier to migration on the plateau.

Discoveries of Tubo period 

Since 2020 and 2021, the Xizang Autonomous Region Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology have jointly launched archaeological excavations at the Tubo cemetery in Dangxiong County, Lhasa, situated at an elevation of 4,300. The excavations uncovered 36 burial mounds, yielding a wide array of artifacts, including gold and silver objects, pottery, copper and iron remnants, lacquerware fragments, shell products, tsha tsha [Tibetan Buddhist clay votive tablets designating the fulfillment of a vow], fabrics, Go (Weiqi) stones, and various gemstones. Among these, the gold and silver items, lacquerware, textiles, and Weiqi stones reflect cultural exchanges between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty.  

Archaeological discoveries of Tubo-period sites in Xizang, predominantly located along the ancient routes connecting Tubo with the Tang, showcase varying degrees of connections with regions such as Qinghai, the Tang Empire, Central Asia and Western Asia. While the tomb structures and the majority of artifacts from this period primarily reflect local Tubo cultural traits, luxury items like silk, lacquerware, gold and silver items, and gemstones—imported from distant lands—underscore the extensive cultural exchanges along the Tang-Xizang routes. These findings offer compelling evidence of the plurality and unity in the configuration of the Chinese nationality.  

In recent years, archaeological surveys in eastern Xizang have also focused on Buddhist heritage, leading to the discovery of numerous cliff-side carvings from the Tubo period. These carvings, dating to the early 9th century, when Tubo was at its zenith, were created by a collaborative team of Xizang monks, masters, and artisans, alongside Han craftsmen. Notably, they inscribed the Heart Sutra in Xizang, Han, and Sanskrit. The incorporation of the foreign Pala art style into Tubo’s elite culture led to the development of a distinctive, localized style. These invaluable relics reflect a historical landscape of multi-ethnic integration, cross-cultural exchanges, and mutual influence.  

Tong Tao is a research fellow from the Institute of Archaeology at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Edited by REN GUANHONG