Jottings from the Granite Studio

Reuters reports today that a 30-meter building is buried inside of the vast mausoleum of Qin Shihuangdi.

Duan Qingbo, a researcher with Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology, said the building might have been constructed for the soul of the emperor to depart.

Archaeologists have been using remote sensing technology since 2002 to study the internal structure of the unexcavated mausoleum.

They concluded that the building, buried above the main tomb, had four surrounding stair-like walls with nine steps each, Xinhua said.

Duan Qingbo has been vocal in opposing opening the mausoleum too quickly, arguing that doing so could possibly damage priceless artifacts or evidence, all just to satisfy local officials hungry for tourist dollars.