Colourful murals discovered in 600-year-old tomb in China

Beijing: A 600-year-old tomb decorated with rare mural paintings has been unearthed in east China`s Jiangxi Province. The tomb, dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), was discovered at a construction site of a parking lot in Xingzi County, the Archaeology Institute of Xingzi County announced on Thursday. The tomb has not been damaged by thieves or vandals, but most of the murals are in poor condition, except for some well-preserved paintings covering 0.5 square meters on the eastern wall, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Tombs with colourful murals are common in northern China but are very rare in the south. This is the first time that tomb murals from the era of Ming Dynasty has been discovered in Jiangxi, experts said. Archaeologists said they will continue their excavation efforts as they hope to find a cluster of tombs in the area. The wall paintings feature peonies, lotuses, chrysanthemums and sticks of bamboo with red, black, blue and yellow hues, and show a strong religious influence, the institute said. PTI