This file photo shows a piece of architectural component discovered within the ruins of the Tongyifang, a residential compound for high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the renowned Chang'an City during the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi province. [Photo/Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology handout via Xinhua]

Archaeologists have uncovered 25 relic sites in Xi'an, the capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi province, with finds including ash pits and wells dating back to the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology announced on Thursday.

The excavation was conducted by the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology in October 2023 ahead of a local construction project in the city's Beilin District. The relic site was identified within the ruins of the Tongyifang, a residential compound for high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the renowned Chang'an City during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

A total of 27 ancient relic sites were discovered during the excavation, comprising 21 ash pits, five wells and one ditch, with 25 of these sites confirmed to date back to the Sui and Tang periods.

Seventy-three pieces or sets of artifacts were also unearthed, primarily ceramics and architectural components, along with a few copper coins, iron objects, and shells.

These findings provide crucial new information for understanding of the layout and evolution of residential quarters in the ancient city of Chang'an. The unearthed ceramics offer new materials for research on social life during the Sui and Tang dynasties.