Archaeologists uncover an additional site in Zhejiang, revealing exile, ritual and the dynasty's reluctant permanence, Yang Feiyue reports.

An hour and a half's drive southeast from the bustling heart of Hangzhou, the urban landscape gives way to a quiet, hilly terrain carpeted with tea fields.

To the untrained eye, it is merely a scenic vista in Fusheng town, Shaoxing, in eastern Zhejiang province. Yet, beneath these verdant rows lies one of the most significant archaeological secrets in southern China — the Six Mausoleums of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

They were the final resting place of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) emperors and empresses.

The tomb cluster, now tucked away among a vast, serene landscape of green tea bushes in the town, tells a story of exile, impermanence and a profound psychological shift that shaped the final century of an empire.

In September, archaeologists uncovered a grand imperial shicangzi (stone chamber tomb) in the burial complex's northern section — the seventh such chamber discovered.

Upon entering the archaeological site, one finds Mausoleum No 7 nestled against mountains on three sides, oriented northwest to southeast, in a setting nothing short of picturesque.

The exposed stone chamber is grand in scale, covering over 100 square meters. Stone boundaries on three sides are clearly visible, while the fourth remains hidden beneath tea fields, awaiting full excavation.

"Based on the form, scale and other available data, this should be classified as an imperial-grade mausoleum," states Li Huida, deputy director of the Zhejiang provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology and head of the Song mausoleums archaeological project.