Ancient path reserved for emperor, magnificent gate discovered in east China

NANJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have discovered a path that was exclusively reserved for the emperor, as well as a magnificent gate of the ancient capital city dating back to the Liang Dynasty, one of the Southern Dynasties (420-589) in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province.

The researchers excavated the 210-meter-long path at Nanjing West Street site, or "Nanjing Xijie" in Chinese. About 26 meters wide, the path features trenches dug on both sides. Meanwhile, some magnificent gate ruins measuring about 33 meters wide with brick-paved drainage facilities were also discovered at the site.

Chen Dahai, an associate researcher from the Nanjing Institute of Archaeology in charge of the archaeological project at the site, believes the gate to be the southern gate of Liang's capital city at that time.

Additionally, a river moat was dug outside the gate and city walls of the ancient capital. Relics, including a large number of celadons -- greenish ceramics -- were also unearthed at the site. Some porcelain relics are believed to be customized products for the ancient capital city or Buddhist temples at that time, said Chen.

Starting from 2017, the researchers have excavated a total of 12,000 square meters of the site, discovering new research materials for further studies on the ancient history and civilization of Nanjing.