Chinese archaeologists determined on Thursday the exact location of two ancient imperial mausoleums dating back 1,300 years following explorations in north China's Hebei Province.

Seated in Longyao County of Xingtai City, the mausoleums belonged to Li Xi and Li Tianci in the South-north Dynasty (420-581), the second great grandfather and great grandfather of the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty (618-907), Li Yuan.

Made up of staff from the Cultural Relics Institute of Hebei Province and historic preservation station of Longyao County, the exploration team started their work on Nov. 14.

"Covering more than 4 square kilometers, the mausoleums have similar layouts as Chang'an City." said Guo Jiqiao, leader of the exploration team.

The ancient city of Chang'an was the capital for the Tang Dynasty, which was located in today's Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

"We also found some stone sculptures at the site, such as stone horses, stone men and stone lions." Guo said.

"The discovery will provide invaluable materials for the research of the layout of ancient imperial mausoleums and it will also serve as evidence proving that Longyao County is the ancestral home of the Tang Dynasty." Guo added.

Source: Xinhua