Archaeologist Wang Yongbo, 61, still clearly remembers the day 25 years ago when he and his colleagues discovered a large ancient chariot and horse burial site in Linzi, Shandong province.

Remains of 38 horses and 13 carts lie in a 300-square-meter tomb from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) on a river bank. Much of the carts' wooden frames and horse bodies have rotted away, but relics of wheels, bones and bronze decorations still remain, hinting at their once-mighty presence.

"It was spectacular! We were thrilled by the find as it was the first time such a large-scale chariot and horse burial pit had been excavated in the province," recalls Wang, a researcher with the Shandong provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology.