An ancient tomb of a foreigner has been found near Xi'an

　　Laowai (foreigners) are not unfamiliar to the rank and file in China nowadays.

　　But it is difficult even for historians to pin down when the first laowai or "outsider" started coming to, and residing deep inside China.

　　Last year, archaeologists in Shaanxi Province in the northwest stumbled upon a tomb in the northern suburbs of Xi'an, the provincial capital.

　　The tomb had been robbed, but researchers were still able to piece together, from a few items lying around and stone engravings on the tomb walls, the life of a laowai who had lived, married, died and was buried in China.

　　The tomb's surprises became apparent during excavations between June and October last year. From what remained, archaeologists identified a gold ring, a Byzantine coin and a gold earring, evidently dropped by the looters as they decamped with other unknown historical treasures.