The excavation of a tomb in central China occupied by a prince and
his princess of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) is said to be the
country's most significant archeological find of the period after
that of the Ming Tombs in the outskirts of Beijing.
The excavation just concluded in Zhongxiang, which is located some
200 kilometers 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 jewelry.
The relics are so perfectly preserved that they still gleam like
new.
Underground water can be seen in some spots in the tomb, which is
not equipped with drainage systems like most other royal Ming
tombs.
China has only opened one of the 13
Ming tombs in Beijing for archeological excavation. That
project, in 1956, kicked off the country's first large-scale Ming
tomb archeological research. The site has become one of the most
popular tourist spots in the national capital.
Zhongxiang has been known as a granary for over 2,000 years. It was
designated as one of China's cities of historical and cultural
values in 1994, and was included on the World Heritage List in
2000.
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. His princess was entombed with him 10 years
after his death.
Five gem-covered crowns were unearthed from the tomb. The largest
is 4.8 centimeters high and 5.2 centimeters in diameter, and is
inlaid with nine precious stones of different colors.
(
February 21, 2002)