Haihunhou: Remains of a short reign

A jade pendant unearthed from the tomb. [Photo by Guo Jing/China Daily]

For example, some bronze artifacts resemble a hotpot and distillation equipment.

Wang also says: "The quality of the artifacts can also be a crucial criterion in judging the prosperity of a society."

The archaeological excavation of this site began following a tomb-robbery case in 2011.

One of the retrieved gold articles following that robbery indicated that the tomb under attack belonged to a top official, possibly an emperor.

As Wang says: "If local villagers had not reported the matter in time and archaeologists had not worked hard, the cultural relics would have been scattered and relevant academic research would have been hampered due to a lack of information."

Shi Xiaofeng contributed to this story.