Chinese archaeologists have found the relics of an ancient Xinggong, imperial palace for short stays away from the capital, for Qin kings more than 2,000 years ago.

The cultural heritage administration in Shaanxi Province announced Sunday this latest find in Qianyang county.

The archaeologists said the residence ruins are sized as 400 meters by 300 meters, with a lot of ancient tilts and bricks being discovered. Those relics were dated back to the Warring States period (475 B.C. - 221 B.C.).

The major discovery was triggered by a peasant who stumbled upon a big earthenware near the later found ruins in Qianyang County. The earthenware was ascertained as part of an ancient water collecting and distributing system built in the imperial residence, the archaeologists said.

The experts analyzed that the residence might belong to the state of Qin, which subsequently conquered, under the leadership of Yingzheng, all other states and created the first unified nation on the land where China now stands.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2008)