銆€銆€Archaeologists in north China's Shanxi Province have finished renovating a nearly 1,500-year-old tomb and restoring the murals in the tomb's interior, sources said on Monday.

銆€銆€A scientist is repairing an ancient mural in an 1,500-year-old tomb in Shanxi provine.

銆€銆€The tomb of Xu Xianxiu, a high-profile official of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557), was unearthed a decade ago, but has since suffered severe oxidization due to exposure to air, according to Wu Guangwen, head of the office that oversees the protection of the tomb.

銆€銆€Wu said the wall paintings were improved after the maintenance work, which was undertaken by the Dunhuang Academy at a cost of over 3 million yuan (476,190 U.S. dollars).

銆€銆€"The wall paintings are so precious that we shall try our best to preserve and protect them," Wu said.

銆€銆€Located on the outskirts of Taiyuan, provincial capital of Shanxi, the tomb is considered to have some of the best-preserved murals from the Northern Qi period. The interior walls of the tomb are decorated with paintings covering about 330 square meters, which experts say are of great archaeological significance.

銆€銆€The tomb was listed as one of the top 10 archaeological findings in 2002, and in 2006 it was named one of the key cultural relics under state-level protection by the State Council, China's Cabinet.