AN archaeological team last year discovered 62 ancient tombs, 19 with sloping passages, in the city of Hami in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

It is the first time that tombs with sloping passages have been found in Hami, team leader Wang Yongqiang said Monday. Wang is also a researcher with the Xinjiang cultural relics and archaeology institute.

“Sloping passages used to be a typical tomb element in the culture of central areas of China. Such tombs have been found in Xinjiang’s Turpan and in the city of Dunhuang, Gansu Province,” Wang said.

Based on the structure and unearthed relics, Wang said the tombs could date back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Unearthed items, including replicas of gold coins used in the Eastern Roman Empire, point to exchanges between the East and the West at the time, showing that Hami served as a historical bridge for trade and cultural exchange, Wang said.(Xinhua)