Zhang and his colleagues assumed the family loved tea, so family members were buried with their tea cups hoping they'd still be able to enjoy tea in the afterlife.
Besides the tea sets, Zhang and his colleagues also found liquor cups, incense burners and inkstones in the tombs. "These were essential items for Chinese intellectuals in the old days," said Zhang.
Several epitaphs were engraved with Lu Dalin's name, evidence that these tombs, including 20 for adults and nine for children, were Lu's family tombs.
Lu Dalin (1044-1091) lived in Lantian County throughout his life. He was the first in China to study ancient writings and bronze ware and is therefore recognized as the forefather of Chinese anthropologists.
The epitaphs suggested five generations of the family, including Lu himself, were buried at the site from 1074 to 1111, said Zhang.
The discovery of the tomb was listed as one of the six most important archeological finds in China last year.
