In 2009, some local museum staff noticed scattered structural components in the area around the Sijiaoping site, and the ruins were first found in 2019, before further scientific excavations were carried out over the past few years.

According to Hou, studies of historical documents showed that Qinshihuang once traveled westward from the imperial capital city of Xianyang (in what is today's Shaanxi province) shortly after he united the country.

"Being where his ancestors had lived, Lixian was on his route," Hou explained. "So the new findings could probably indicate that it was a place for him to hold sacrificial ceremonies at that time."

"The architectural ruins show high-level building techniques and a rigid format," said Zhu Yanshi, deputy director of the Institute of Archaeology, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Its drainage system also tells us that, like other Qin royal constructions, the place was very well designed.

"Comparative studies with other sites may show how formats of largescale ceremonial structures evolved in the early years, when a centralized dynasty was first established."