X-post from Tim 't Hart's EastAsianArch list.
With kind permission.

****************

Beijing Olympics construction unearths imperial tombs, prompting
building suspension

SHANGHAI, China -- Work on a shooting range for the 2008 Beijing
Olympics has been suspended after the discovery of imperial-era tombs on
the site, newspapers and an antiquities official said Monday.

The tombs, found in mid-April, are believed to date back five to six
centuries to the Ming dynasty, and may be those of eunuchs serving at
the imperial court, the Beijing Morning Post said.

Beijing has been the site of imperial and other capitals for more than
1,000 years, and almost every major building project unearths gravesites
or relics. Most are removed or destroyed before experts can examine them.

Archeologists have found coins, ceramics and jade in the tombs at the
shooting range on the Chinese capital's western outskirts, the Post and
other papers said.

A spokeswoman for the Beijing Olympic organizers, Zhu Jing, said she had
no information on how the discovery would affect construction.

An official of the Beijing Cultural Relics Department, Liu Baoshan,
declined to give an age for the tombs and said no details would be
released until a final report is drawn up.

Olympic organizers broke ground in July 2004 for the shooting range.

The main Olympic facilities are on Beijing's north side, while other
facilities are scattered around the city. (AP)

Source:
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/news/20060508p2g00m0in022000c.html

with kind regards,

Matthias Arnold (Art-Eastasia list)

http://www.chinaresource.org
http://www.fluktor.de

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