The Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology announced its latest archaeological excavation on Dec 26, which included the largest vassal king tomb from the mid and late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) uncovered in Xiaodian district, Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province.

The tomb of Jinduan King located in the northeast of Dongfeng village, Huangling sub-district, was excavated by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology and Taiyuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology from May 2019 to April 2021.

The excavation marked the first time that first systematical archaeological work was carried out on the tombs and cemeteries of the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty in Shanxi.

The tomb of Jinduan King is 24 meters long from north to south and 8 meters wide from east to west. Exquisite painted lacquer wood figurines and silk fabrics as well as epitaphs were unearthed, providing important information for the study of the clothing and funeral system of the Ming Dynasty.