Listening to stones on Xinjiang's ancient grasslands

On the vast Husta grasslands in Wenquan county, Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a solitary container house stands against the horizon. It serves as the base camp for the Husta archaeological team.

The name Husta means "a place with birch trees" in Mongolian. Although the birch trees have long disappeared, endless grasslands remain, along with a group of dedicated archaeologists who have chosen a profession that is both quiet and, at times, lonely.

"That is the Alatau Mountains," says Yu Xiaoxiao, a team member, pointing toward the distant peaks.

Thousands of kilometers from her hometown in Guangdong province, this site near the China-Kazakhstan border feels both dreamlike and real. It is a place where physical traces of the past connect ancient history to the modern world.

Each year, from June to September, the team's five permanent members conduct field excavations at the site. During the rest of the year, they work at their base near the mountains, restoring and studying the artifacts they have uncovered.

At Yu's feet lies Dun Dun, a small dog she affectionately describes as "another member of the team".

More than a decade of patient excavation has produced one of Xinjiang's most significant archaeological discoveries in recent years.

While the main Husta settlement dates to the late Bronze Age, around 1600 BC, tombs found in the eastern section are even older, dating to approximately 2800 BC. These burials rank among the earliest Bronze Age remains ever discovered in Xinjiang.

A bronze knife unearthed from one of the tombs is now considered one of the oldest known bronze artifacts found in China.

The discovery of multi-person burial tombs is also remarkable, the first of its kind in Xinjiang, according to Yu. The largest burial pit found so far contains at least 120 individual skeletons, representing a multi-generational family that lived together in this area for many years.

Yu says the site has also yielded other remarkable artifacts, including human-head sculptures decorated with bronze beads and a stone scepter. Each discovery is helping scholars reshape their understanding of ancient communities and settlement patterns along the Tianshan Mountains.

Inside the team's field workshop, excavation tools are carefully arranged — scrapers, pickaxes, hand trowels and more. Yet, one of their most effective tools is surprisingly simple: a cut-up plastic water bottle.

"Sometimes, inside the tombs, there are very narrow spaces between human bones," explains Mengker of the Mongolian ethnic group, who is the youngest member of the team at 24.

"This tool can bend around corners, making it easier to remove soil without damaging the nearby artifacts."

Beneath the grasslands lies a civilization waiting to be revealed, and many of the archaeologists' tools are improvised.

Even so, Mengker and her colleagues continue to uncover relic after relic from the distant past. During excavation season, they spend long days digging and long nights beneath star-filled skies.

Life at the site is far from convenient. There are no supermarkets or food-delivery services, and the nearest town is more than an hour away by car.

Yet, material hardship is not their greatest challenge. The surrounding wilderness can be dangerous.

"In 2023, a bear entered our camp," recalls team member Chen Siyu, showing an old photograph.

The same year, the team also experienced sudden flash floods, Chen adds.

Despite these difficulties, the archaeologists speak warmly about their work.

Wenquan county is often called "a museum without walls". Almost any stone scattered across the grasslands may hold traces of people who lived there 3,000 years ago.

"Sometimes when I look at a stone, I feel it can speak," says Yu. "It seems to tell you what life was like, who those people were, how they came here, and what they were doing."

On this grassland, more stones may speak.

Wenquan county is home to countless rock carvings depicting animals, hunting scenes, and other aspects of ancient nomadic life. Together with the Husta site, these carvings help reconstruct thousands of years of human history on the grasslands.

Day after day, these young archaeologists carry out work that is demanding, meaningful, and often solitary.

Throughout it all, Dun Dun remains their loyal companion. The puppy was a gift from local border defense personnel, while its mother and brother continue serving at a nearby border checkpoint.

When visitors leave, Dun Dun rarely comes to say goodbye. Perhaps the dog has grown accustomed to seeing people arrive, marvel at the wonders of the site, and then depart.

Or perhaps it simply knows that when summer returns, the archaeologists will come back once again to listen to the voices hidden within the stones.

"We are honored to help pass those voices on to future generations," Yu says.