Emergency blockade of the cave discovered many rare antiques dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties
The discovery of a cave in Lam Dong district, Xi’an city, Shaanxi province, China, between 2019 and 2020 led to a surprising find of numerous rare antiques dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Believed by locals to be haunted due to strange noises, the village chief alerted archaeologists, who quickly investigated. Upon entering the cave, experts were stunned to find a wealth of cultural artifacts, including jade, porcelain, ironware, more than 300 pieces of porcelain and ironware, musical instruments, bamboo tokens…, musical instruments, and bamboo tokens.
Inside the cave, archaeologists have unearthed many antiques
Despite extensive analysis, the owner of these antiques remains unknown. Additionally, traces of ore waste dumps were found, linking the cave’s history to Qin Shi Huang’s cinnabar mining activities. Ba Thanh, a prominent figure during the Qin Dynasty, played a key role in supplying mercury to Emperor Qin Shi Huang, leading to the exploitation of cinnabar mines in the Lam Dong district.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang used 100 tons of mercury to simulate the river mountain in his own tomb
After the depletion of cinnabar resources, the cave was abandoned but later repurposed as a hiding place for valuable items during the Ming and Qing dynasties.