Tombs Discovered on Site of New Beijing Mega-Airport
Workers building Beijing’s mega-airport of the future have stumbled over a bit of the city’s past.
Over 200 tombs from the Qing era (1644-1912) have been excavated in the maintenance and repair facilities for the new Beijing Daxing Airport currently under construction to the south of the capital.
Tombs
and coffins, including double and multiple burials (always good to get
that family discount) as well as pottery, bowls, bracelets, and other
jewelry were among the items uncovered after officials called in
researchers from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau.
The
density of tombs and the distribution of the burial sites suggest that
they may have belonged to a single lineage or family group.
Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau Spokesperson Yu Ping told
reporters that the bureau cooperates with all major construction
projects in the city and that sites deemed to have high historical or
cultural value will be protected on site.
The unofficially named "Beijing Daxing International Airport," scheduled to open in 2019, is part of a major infrastructure initiative led by General Secretary Xi Jinping. The airport will cost over 80 billion yuan (USD
12.11 billion) to build and will cover a total of 47 square kilometers
(18 square miles) in Daxing District about 67km south of the city. It is
expected to serve 45 million passengers a year when it opens in 2019
with an eventual capacity of 100 million which would rival the world’s
busiest air hubs.
Currently, experts from the Cultural Relics
Bureau are reviewing the discovery at the airport. According to
Spokesperson Yu, if the tombs are deemed to have significant value,
workers will be ordered to avoid destroying the graves and to build
around the site.
Images: Toutiao, Sina News (news.sina.com.cn)
Top Stories This Week:
Beijingers Are Buzzing About: