Over 1,000 Ancient Tombs Unearthed in Beijing Suburb

Tongzhou doesn’t have a reputation for being the most exciting place in Beijing, but apparently there’s more to this Beijing suburb than meets the eye.  

Archaeologists have recently uncovered 1,092 ancient tombs in the area. The tombs date back thousands of years, ranging from the era of the Warring States (475 B.C.-221 B.C.) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Beijing municipal administration of cultural heritage said.

A team has been focusing on a one-million-square-meter stretch of land located in Tongzhou‘s Lucheng Township. Forty thousand square meters have been excavated, and workers have now unearthed an abundance of cultural relics in the past seven months or so.  

So far this year, over 10,000 artifacts have been recovered on the site. Works include pottery and pieces fashioned from porcelain, bronze and iron. The site of an ancient city and 69 historic kilns were also discovered.

Archeologists have successfully relocated 66 sites, in order to properly preserve and protect them. 

The ancient relics were discovered during the large-scale construction project that is going on in Tongzhou to relocate many of Beijing’s administrative buildings outside of the city center.

[Image via Xinhua]