Chamber of Southern Song tomb reawakens history

In September, archaeologists uncovered a grand imperial shicangzi (stone chamber tomb) in the burial complex's northern section — the seventh such chamber discovered.

Upon entering the archaeological site, one finds Mausoleum No 7 nestled against mountains on three sides, oriented northwest to southeast, in a setting nothing short of picturesque.

The exposed stone chamber is grand in scale, covering over 100 square meters. Stone boundaries on three sides are clearly visible, while the fourth remains hidden beneath tea fields, awaiting full excavation.

"Based on the form, scale and other available data, this should be classified as an imperial-grade mausoleum," states Li Huida, deputy director of the Zhejiang provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology and head of the Song mausoleums archaeological project.