XI'AN - A collection of 798 cultural relics dating back to Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC) are on display at a museum in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The artifacts were unearthed from a massive complex of tombs in Liangdai village, which is close to the Yellow River and famous for its long history and culture. The discovery predates the nearby Terracotta Army by more than 300 years.

Some of the tombs are believed to be that of a ruler of a vassal state in Zhou Dynasty and his wife who lived more than 2,800 years ago.

The 70-plus tombs in the area were excavated between 2005 and 2009, and more than 26,000 artifacts including jade, gold and bronze items were unearthed.

Some of the burial objects found had never been seen before and are the oldest and best preserved of their kind in China.

Over 20 pieces classed as national treasures, including a wooden figurine and a trapezoidal piece of jade jewelry, are making their public debut in this exhibition.

"The piece of jade jewelry is decorated with 20 small jade accessories on the top and bottom, and is by far the most luxurious decorative ancient jadeware in China," said deputy curator Cai Haipeng.

A jade animal sculpture, called "yuzhulong" in Chinese and with a history of more than 5,000 years, is the highlight of the collection, according to Pang Youxue, curator of the museum. "Yuzhulong" is a typical item from the Hongshan culture, an important part of the Neolithic Age in northeastern China, some 5,000 years ago.

"This means the owner of the sculpture, whose name is Zhongjiang [wife of the ruler], was also a collector. The jade piece was already over 2,000 years old before it belonged to Zhongjiang," said Pang.