The excavation of a tomb in Central China occupied by a Ming prince and his princess is said to be China's most significant archaeological find of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) after that of the Ming Tombs on the outskirts of Beijing.
The excavation just concluded in Zhongxiang - some 200 kilometres from Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province - revealed some 5,100 precious funerary objects with over 10 kilograms of gold articles and 3,400 pieces of jewellery. The relics still gleam like new. Underground water can be seen in some parts of the tomb, which is not equipped with the drainage systems that most other imperial Ming tombs had.
According to Jiang Changzhong - director of the culture department of the Hubei provincial government - the tomb's occupant, Prince Liangzhuang, was the ninth son of Emperor Renzong. The prince died of illness in 1441. The princess was buried with him 10 years later.
Five gem-covered crowns were unearthed from the tomb. The largest is 4.8 centimetres high and 5.2 centimetres in diameter, and is inlaid with nine precious stones of different colours.
China has only opened one of the 13 Ming tombs in Beijing for archaeological excavation.
Zhongxiang has been known as a granary for over 2,000 years. It was included on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2000.
