Archaeologists believe to have found remains of the oldest imperial palace in the the ruins in the North-east of the Taosi relic site in Xiangfen County, Shanxi province, China. The ruins are believed to date 4000 years back.

The Taosi relics site covers an area of 3 million square meters. It is believed to be a settlement of the period of the five legendary rulers (2600-1600 BC) in Chinese history. Within the North-east region of the site archaeologists believe to have found the palace structure. Researchers believe that the site, demonstrating a self-contained system and rigorous structure, with outstanding defensive function, is the earliest imperial city discovered in China so far. The building is rectangular in shape and measures about 470 meters in length from the east to the west, and some 270 meters in width from south to the north, spanning over area of about 130000 square meters. The buildings preserved only at the level of foundations, and some of the corners have also been destroyed.

(after Chinanews)