Rare Ming Dynasty tomb with murals found in China

Beijing: A tomb dating back about 500 years with rare brightly coloured murals was today discovered by archaeologists in east China's Shandong province.

Wang Zimeng with the provincial institute of archaeology said that the tomb of the mid to late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was discovered in Zhangdian District, Zibo city.

The tomb consists of three burial chambers. Exquisite murals depicting people, dragons, a phoenix and flowers were painted in the tomb.

Ming tombs with such murals are rarely found.

This new finding is the only one in Zibo area, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang said the tomb is important for research on funeral customs during the dynasty.