Dongyang Tumulus Tomb Cluster

　　Since June 10, 2006, the provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology, together with the Dongyang Municipal Cultural Relics Office, has conducted excavations of the Western Zhou ancient tomb cluster. Significant discoveries were made in pits No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. By July 23, the excavation and cleaning work of pit No. 4 had largely been completed, yielding a total of three human skeletons and 105 precious cultural relics, including a tripod porcelain ding with three legs.

　　There are currently five well-preserved tumulus tombs in the Dongyang Tumulus Tomb Cluster: the Shihujiao Mountain Chambered Tumulus Tomb at Xianghu Stone Corner Mountain, the Paixian Stone?? Dongshan Chambered Tumulus Tomb, the Shizhai Yinjiao Mountain Chambered Tumulus Tomb, the Paixian Xiamajia Natural Village Qianshan Tumulus Tomb, and the Guyuantou Xunjianjian Tumulus Tomb. All these tombs are situated atop small hills, oriented from east to west, and are of grand scale. The chambered tumulus tombs at Stone Corner Mountain, Paixian, and Yinjiao Mountain all feature chambers constructed from massive stones. The selected stones are mostly slab-like, strip-shaped, or square. Some stones are several meters long and weigh several tons, which is rare among chambered tumulus tombs elsewhere. The clearly identified floor plans of the tombs include three types: concave-shaped, convex-shaped, and rectangular. The Qianshan Tumulus Tomb was excavated in 2003 in coordination with the construction of the Yongjin Expressway. It is a rectangular shallow earthen pit wooden-chamber tomb, but the passage part is constructed from stone blocks to form a stone-chamber shape, making its structure quite unique. The burial objects unearthed from the tomb are also rather unusual—there are no common everyday items such as printed hard pottery or primitive porcelain typically found in Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn period tumulus tombs, but rather entirely jade artifacts. Aside from one jade zun and a jade bead, the rest are numerous small ornaments such as tubes, beads, strips, and pieces, which is very rare. After excavation, this tomb was preserved in situ. The Xunjianjian Tumulus Tomb is of huge scale, sealed with clay, and well-preserved. It may be a typical example of a chambered tumulus tomb.

　　The Dongyang Tumulus Tomb Cluster is not only of great scale, but also features several different types of tomb structure. It includes both typical tumulus tombs and chambered tumulus tombs, as well as transitional forms between different tomb styles, making it a rare and important example of the development and changes in tomb structures during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

　　In 2006, the Dongyang Tumulus Tomb Cluster, as an ancient tomb from the Zhou Dynasty, was included in the sixth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.