Statues in Guizai Valley. [file photo]

Archeologists have discovered at least 5,000 stone statues in central China's Hunan Province, dating back to periods before the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC). It is the largest collection of ancient sculptures ever found in one place in China.

The carved human figures reveal the scenes of religious ceremony as thousands of government officials, soldiers and civilians gathered to pay tribute to their common ancestors.

The sculptures, measuring about 30 to 100 centimeters in height, were scattered over a 15,000-square-meter area in Guizai Valley in Nanlin Mountains. More statues were believed still under the ground and would be unearthed soon, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald said today.

The amount of statues found in Guizai Valley far outnumbered the terracotta warriors in the tomb of Qin's first emperor, Shi Huang Di.