More than 20 pieces of porcelain were excavated from a construction site in the Tongzhou District of Beijing on March 7. The pieces, mostly cans and bottles that were uncovered in pairs, are currently being cleaned and conserved at the Tongzhou Heritage Management Bureau.

However, a villager named Cao Jiazhong, living in Caozhuang Village, claims that the porcelain was buried by his grandfather and therefore rightfully belongs to his family. Cao is 66 years old. His grandfather, named Cao Yinran, used to be a landowner in the village. "My grandpa was the biggest landowner in the village, with many acres of land. My grandma also comes from a rich family that worked for the prince during the Qing Dynasty," Cao said.

"Those porcelain pieces are so-called ‘dowry porcelain,’ as they come in pairs," Cao added. He was told by his father that during the civil war and the Anti-Japanese War, his grandfather buried the family's porcelain in several different places, several different times.

According an employee from the Tongzhou Heritage Management Bureau, the excavated porcelain is in good shape. Based on preliminary identification, the pieces were made during the Republican Period. The employee said that Cao must provide more evidence in order to prove that the porcelain belongs to his family. The bureau will then discuss the claim with relevant government departments and the village before deciding what to do.