A lacquer model of a human body from the Laoguanshan Tombs in Chengdu,Sichuan province.Photo Provided to China Daily

5. Laoguanshan Tombs of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), Chengdu, Sichuan province

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Four tombs were uncovered and nine sets of ancient medical books made of wooden and bamboo slips were discovered, on which appear more than 20,000 characters. A lacquer model of a human body for traditional Chinese medical use is the earliest item of its type found in China so far. The files are believed to belong to the Bianque School, a legendary medical school once believed to be lost forever as no documents relating to it had ever been found.

Four sets of loom models were also unearthed, which are so far the nation's only discovery of complete looms from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) with clear archaeological recordings.

"A medical legend came back to the world, and it is a milestone for the study of the origins of TCM acupuncture, and even the overall history of TCM," says Xie Tao, deputy director of the Chengdu Municipal Institute of Archaeology. "Sichuan is traditionally known for its delicate silk pieces. The models present the highest weaving technique at that time and are an extraordinarily crucial part of the history of silk."