Judging from bronze articles unearthed from ancient tombs in Inner Mongolia, archaeologists estimate that nomadic tribes in north China had contacts with Western civilizations approximately 2,500 years ago.
     Local archaeologists found a bronze mirror and a bronze plate at the two ancient tomb sites in Liangcheng county which can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BCE) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BCE), which they believed could not be the work of ancient northern peoples in China.
     The semi-circle button of the mirror - approximately 10 cm in diameter- and the plate design of a weird beast with a bird's head and a tiger's body resembled very much the style of relics excavated in the hinterland of the Eurasian grass plain extending eastwards from the Black Sea to theouter Trans-Baikalia region in Russia, said Cao Jian'en, a noted researcher with the regional archaeology institute.
     More than 80 tombs were unearthed from the two sites and some 200 ornaments, numerous bone utensils for daily use, and bones of sacrifice animals including horses, oxen, sheep and dogs were found in the tombs. Archaeologists said the animal sacrifice showed that the tombs belonged to nomads.

Source: People's Daily (28 October 2003)