The Tomb Group of Leigudun is located in the northwest suburb of Suizhou City in Hubei Province.

Leigudun is the cemetery place for the Zeng Kingdom of the early Warring States Period (476-221BC). Altogether, 70 tombs in this area are being examined and excavated. The largest is the Tomb of the Duke Zeng Houyi, excavated in 1978, which contains many valuable antiques, particularly the world-famous chime bells.

The Tomb of the Duke Zeng Houyi was built on a slope on the Hongsha Cliff and covers an area of 220 square meters. The tomb has four chambers in the east, west, north and south that are partitioned by huge timbers. The color-painted coffin has two layers -- the inner and outer parts. Twenty-one people were buried alive for the dead -- mainly young girls aged 13 to 25 -- including 7,000 objects, such as instruments, weapons, articles used by carts and horses, gold and silver containers, gold cups, gold spoons and jade containers.

The Zeng Houyi bells is a three-tiered set which has 65 refined bronze bells, including a large Jian drum (90cm in diameter, the drum was suspended from a framework in such a way that the drum head faced the striker), one set of bells and one set of chimes. They formed the three sides of a rectangle. Buried for 2,400 years, the chime bells can still play music of both ancient and modern times. In 1981 many well-designed ancient instruments, including 30 chime bells, zithers, panpipes, drums and bamboo flutes, were unearthed at the No 2 Tomb of Leigudun. The instruments serve as material references for the study of ancient China's music history.

The numerous valuable antiques unearthed at the Tomb Group of Leigudun are exhibited at the Museum of Hubei Province, where a tomb pavilion was also erected. The tomb chambers and most of the coffins are under special protection. Replicas of the antiques are also on display.