KUNMING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists discovered a group of copper smelting ruins dating from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.) to the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The archaeologists unearthed 32 ruins, including 28 furnaces and a workshop, in an excavation area of 554 square meters in Jinping Miao, Yao and Dai Autonomous County in the province.

They also found pottery fragments, stoneware and copper slag in the ruins, according to the provincial cultural relics and archaeology research institute.

The discovery is significant for the research into ancient mining and metallurgy technologies in southwest China, the institute said.