An archaeological project in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, made the list of China's Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries of 2020, which was released on April 13 in Beijing.

The annual top 10 list, started by China Cultural Relics News, was first released in 1990. The selection has become increasingly important to the cultural and museum industry and has attracted widespread public attention.

The selected archaeological project from Xi'an is a collection of tombs from the Sixteen Kingdoms period (304-439).

Unearthed by the Xi'an Institute of Cultural Heritage Protection and Archaeology, the tombs are located at the Shaolingyuan site, to the west of the Chanhe River and to the east of the Chuhe River.

Three large tombs for high-level individuals from the Sixteen Kingdoms period were discovered, each showcasing unique shapes, specifications and structures. Also, rammed-earth buildings, exquisite murals and painted pottery figurines were uncovered.

The site is of great value to the study of the distribution and design of large-scale high-level tombs in the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

During the excavation and research phase, technical means were adopted, including drone photography, geographic information system surveying and mapping, and three-dimensional information collection and element analysis.  

The tombs reflect the distinctive characteristics of the traditional Chinese culture of the Central Plains. They provide new and extremely valuable information for the study of cultural exchanges and ethnic integration, according to the Xi'an Institute of Cultural Heritage Protection and Archaeology.