We continue to follow the discovery two large-scale tombs at a construction site in the city of Lu'an in East China's Anhui Province. Archeologists are progressing with their examination of the southern tomb.

There, experts have found evidence that suggests the owner of the tomb was from the Chu nation which existed during China's Warring States Period.

According to archeologists, most of the pieces found in the tomb so far are funerary items. About 50 of these are top quality pottery items which were designed to imitate the color and shape of bronzeware.

The highlight of the discovery is a pair of huge multifunctional water containers made of clay. Their original owners used them to carry water for bathing, or fill them with ice for refrigeration.

Qin Rangping, Archeological Inst. of Anhui Province, said, "It was popular at that time to choose bronze-like pottery over real bronze wares as funerary items. Before that, they used real bronzeware. The trend proves that the pottery-making skills at that time were quite mature."

Besides the pottery, archeologists also found remains of an ancient umbrella with bamboo ribs, decorated with bronze and waterproof paints. Scholars have suggested that the delicate umbrella likely belonged

to an elder and highly-respected member of society.

Wang Xin, Archelogical Inst. of Lu'an, Anhui, said, "We believe the umbrella was fastened to a certain kind of vehicle that belonged to a noble family or someone with authority."

Though it is still a mystery about the identity of the tomb's owner, the excavated items are extremely valuable research materials for the current study of Chu culture. The cleaning of the tomb will continue for another few days.

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