Mausoleum site holds clues of China's evolution

Excavation of the first subordinate tomb in the mausoleum of China's first emperor has provided new materials for further research on the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the first unified feudal dynasty of China, and new clues about the evolution of Chinese civilization, an archaeologist said in a news conference in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Friday.

The discovery of the tomb relics reveals the historical transformation of the ancient Chinese centralized system and has profound academic value, said Jiao Nanfeng, a researcher and former dean of the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, in the first presentation of six new archaeological discoveries in the province. The program was hosted by the Society for Shaanxi Provincial Archaeology.