Seven eunuch tombs belonging to the imperial Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were unearthed in Chengdu, capital of southwestern China's Sichuan Province.

The 400-year-old tombs yielded approximately 60 pieces of relics including porcelains, jade belts, jade hair decoration clasps and silver kettles.

The tomb chambers are all some seven meters deep with stone tables for incense burners and bottles at the entrance. The tomb gates were equipped with a stone dragon head at each side and the walls were decorated with dragon patterns.

The coffin chambers were all made of whole stones and enveloped with bar stones, an effective way to ward off possible tomb robbers, said Chen Ping, an archeologist who participated in the excavation.

The tombs belong to a period under the reign of emperor Wan Li (1573 - 1620) in the Ming Dynasty, when the eunuchs controlled court affairs, Chen Ping said.

One of the eunuchs was found to be Feng Kuiyuan, a head eunuch in Shuwangfu Mansion or Mansion for the princess ruling Sichuan area, and the identities of the other eunuchs are still not clear.

The excavation lasted one month at a construction site and further excavation is expected to continue.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2005)