Relics found in Xianyang Airport expansion

More than 4,600 ancient cultural relics including over 3,500 ancient tombs were discovered during an expansion project of the Xianyang International Airport in Xi’an, according to the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.

Hundreds of staff worked even during the Spring Festival holiday to excavate the site and ensure smooth progress of the third phase of the airport’s expansion.

The third-phase expansion of Xianyang airport in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province is the largest civil aviation project in northwest China.

The project is part of the efforts to build an international aviation hub in Xi’an.

In 2010, during the second phase of the airport expansion project, researchers from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology conducted excavation in the construction area and found more than 60 tombs and more than 1,300 cultural relics.

In 2011, six ancient tombs and more than 40 cultural relics were discovered during the construction of Xi’an Metro Line 2 in the former Chinese capital.

A total of 179 archaeological projects were carried out in Shaanxi Province in 2020.

Researchers have covered about 11.8 million square meters of archaeological exploration.

They have discovered 3,956 ancient tombs and 105,800 square meters of ancient sites.