An ancient tomb complex has recently been discovered in western GuangZhou, following the discovery in 2009 of 16 ancient tombs dating back to the Southern Dynasty (420-589 AD) on the former site of the Guangzhou Cement Plant.

This new discovery represents a major archeological breakthrough in western Guangzhou, as traditionally Guangzhou’s archeological exploration was focused on the northern, central and southern parts of the city.

A tiger-shaped celadon porcelain vessel from the Eastern Jin Dynasty

On an about 800-square-meter site, archeologists have uncovered 72 ancient tombs from eight historical periods – the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 25 AD), the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD), the Southern Dynasty (420-589 AD), and Tang (Southern Han) Dynasty (618-907 AD).

More than 460 artifacts, including exquisite burial objects made of soft ceramics, regular ceramics, glazed ceramics, celadon porcelain, soapstone and agate, have been unearthed. Among them are a rare tiger-shaped celadon porcelain vessel and an ink stone.

The discovery of this massive ancient burial site may indicate that the areas around Xiwan in the suburbs of the city might have been a “boomtown” in ancient times.