The cellar also contained dozens of iron ware pieces and a porcelain bowl. It was found during renovations of an old house at the Lushan No.2 Senior High School.

The cellar is in irregular cuboid form and occupies 1.2 by 1.4 by 0.7 cubic meters. Some experts believe the owner of this fortune dug the cellar to store food in case of emergency.

More than 30 types of coins were found in the cellar. Most were issued in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), covering nearly all the coins issued in that period. There are also a few coins of the much earlier Western Han (206 BC-AD 24) and Tang (AD 618-907) dynasties.

Ancient Chinese scholars nicknamed coins as quan (spring), because they thought this elegant name could help wash away the "odor of money." China was one of the first countries to make and use coins, the earliest ones date back thousands of years.

An intact light green glazed bowl produced at Ruyao, one of the most acclaimed kiln sites in ancient China, is of great value for research.

This was the first time a ware of Ruyao was found in Lushan, which is located in the same province as Baofeng County, one of the possible sites of the imperial Ruyao kilns that flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Archaeologists also found a dozen iron tools including an axe, knife and spoon. In addition, a pottery jar to hold water was also unearthed.

From the ancient coins and other precious finds, experts say the mysterious cellar owner must have had a high social status.

The local government has ordered the middle school to stop renovations while archaeologists continue to conduct surveys on campus.

(China Daily January 21, 2003)