A Northern Song Dynasty tomb found in Jishan county, Yuncheng city, Shanxi province. [Photo by Shi Yunping/China Daily]

An ancient brick tomb painted with colored murals from Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) was discovered in Shanxi when a villager was renovating his old residence in Yuanjiazhuang village, Jifeng town, Jishan county, Shanxi province.

Now, the tomb is under protection and excavation, and will be moved to a national key cultural relic unit where it will undergo recovery protection.

The tomb chamber is in rectangle, with a length of 2.25 meters, width of 1.62 meters and a height of 2.88 meters. The whole grave is in the structure of quadrangle courtyard and painted with colored drawings in the whole, partly murals.

The murals, using delicate techniques, show vivid and exquisite figure images. Tile carvings of horse, flying deer and sheep can also be seen in the tomb. Doors and windows in the tomb chamber are decorated with various and gorgeous patterns.

It features a well-preserved art treasure covering ancient architecture, tile carving, mural art and folk culture, which provides precious materials for the study of architecture, folk residence, and folk culture in the Northern Song Dynasty.