Staff members work at the site of the Great Shangqing Palace at the foot of Longhu Mountain in Yingtan, East China's Jiangxi province, Jan 21, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

Archeologist said it is the largest excavation of a Taoist site in China. In addition to the core palace excavation, archeological surveys have been carried out over a 30-square-km area to ascertain the original palace structure.

A trove of pottery and porcelain as well as building materials were unearthed, including glazed tiles from the temple's ancient paintings.

Archeologists believe that the ruins of the palace are worthy of an application for world heritage classification in the future.