Around the outer coffin, quite a number of burial articles are orderly arranged with no sign of man-made damage. Among the uncovered items, such as copper loops carved with dragons, an elegant gold scabbard, magnificently decorated drums, and a complete set of copper and jade articles, the funeral objects claim a rarity in the history of Zhou excavations. Seven distinguished features are acknowledged as follows:

Jade Man & Jade Dagger

** Burials of Sacrificed Animals and Chariots

In Pit K1, 4 chariots and the skeleton bodies of 5 horses and 2 dogs are unearthed. In view of the well-preserved form of the horse remains, archaeologists have concluded that the horses were buried after death. In contrast, some signs show that the dogs were sacrificed alive.

** Strings of Articles Decorating the Inside of the Coffin

Tomb M19, in terms of its large scale and luxurious ornamentations inside the coffin, is regarded as the noble vassal's grave of the Zhou Dynasty. The burials are in the form of the character"甲"and the tomb is 11.8 meters high, 6.6 meters long, and 5.6 meters wide. Matting and fabric cover the inside of the coffin, while rare decorations like bronze fish, agate beads, and stone and shell artifacts gracefully hang around the coffin. The merit of the tomb lies in its well-preserved conditions.

** Best-preserved Excavation of "Sha"

In Tomb M19, archaeologists have found 4 sheets of copper named sha, each less than 1 centimeter thick. It is recorded in the archaeological literature that sha was used in ancient ceremonial occasions and was possessed only by those of high standing. The more sha one owned, the higher his position. Experts say that the four sha masterpieces constitute the best-preserved excavation so far.

** Mysterious Bronze Inscription

To the south of Tomb M19 there stand four pieces of bronze articles, on which material associated with the prince of the Rui State (a state under the reign of the King Zhou in the Zhou Dynasty) was inscribed. What is strange is that "Rui" was located in Da Li of Shanxi Province, away from the Liang State (the present Hancheng). The fact that the "Rui" bronze appeared in the state of "Liang" is a mystery.

** Burials of Three Delicate Jade Birds

The burials in Tomb M19 include 66 pieces of quality jade articles, among which three delicate jade-carving birds are hailed as exceptional masterworks. Though the skeleton of the buried has turned to ashes, jade items like jade necklace, jade bracelet, and jade animal figurines are well preserved, which well demonstrates the high quality of the jade.

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