CONSTRUCTION of Metro Line No. 9 will not be affected by the discovery of a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) tomb containing the remains of two couples, archaeologists said yesterday.
Some of the artifacts inside the tomb, such as a bronze mirror, will be kept for further authentication.
The coffins and bodies will remain at the site, but they will be buried even deeper.
This is standard practice when archaeologists determenine there is no historical value to a particular find.
"We have found many such Ming Dynasty tombs," said He Jiying, an archaeologist at the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Commission.
The tomb was found by workers during construction of Metro Line No. 9 at the conjunction of Xujiahui Road and Huangpi Road S. in Luwan District.
The first phase of Metro Line No. 9 will open next year. It will link rural Songjiang District with Pudong by 2010.
That's the whole thing. Don't know if reburying the stuff deeper is a good idea or not, seeing as they're keeping some of the artifacts. Still, if it's in a location where preservation will be no worse than it was, probably a good thing.