A tomb dating back about 700 years has been discovered recently in Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province, local archaeologist said on Saturday.

The tomb, dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), was unearthed by workers constructing a road at Wulingzhuang Village in Xinjiang County of Yuncheng City.

Two chambers and a corridor, which links the tomb's front compartment with the back one, formed the underground brickwork structure.

The walls of both chambers were decorated with patterns of figures and paintings of flowers and fruits.

Chinese poems, signatures and dates were inscribed at different sites of the corridor, local archaeologist said.

"We are considering moving the whole tomb to a proper place for better protection," said Zhang Weiguo, a researcher with the culture relics administration of Yuncheng City.

According to Zhang, the discovery provides important clues for the study of life, funeral customs and religion in the area in Yuan Dynasty.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2006)