Dig at ancient site uncovers capital of first unified state By XIN WEN and WANG MENGNAN in Xi'an | China Daily | Updated: 2021-02-24 07:48 Share CLOSE Researchers from the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology work at the Xianyang site, Shaanxi province, in December. ZHANG JIE/FOR CHINA DAILY Archaeologists busy at Qin Dynasty location in Shaanxi On a bleak autumn morning, as archaeologist Zhang Yanglizheng was working at the ruins of the ancient city of Xianyang in Shaanxi province, he uncovered what appeared to be an imperial jade seal protruding from the earth. "I was excited. We were in the right place. Something interesting had been bound to happen at some stage," said Zhang, 33, from the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology.