SINCE coming to Shenzhen fi ve years ago, archaeologist Sun Ming has discovered many historical sites, including 114 watchtowers in Bao’an.

Sun, 47, has been an archaeologist since he graduated from Zhengzhou University, Henan Province in 1982.

His friends and co-workers call him a “workaholic archeologist,” because of his passion for his job. He was once so eager to enter a newly opened tomb that he was almost poisoned by a toxic gas, recalled Sun.

“Archaeological excavation is a hard job, but it’s all worth it when I have new fi ndings,” he said.

Sun has made numerous archaeological discoveries in his career. In 1986, he discovered a Western Han (206 B.C.- A.D. 8) tomb in Shangqiu, Henan. The tomb yielded over 300 precious royal relics, including a rare dress made of gold and jade.

 In 2002, Sun moved to Shenzhen.

In 2005 he joined the Bao’an Culture Bureau. He and his coworkers found a Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) brick kiln, the best-preserved kiln in Shenzhen so far. The government later set aside a fund to protect the kiln. In 2004, he found a group of watchtowers and an ancient market with colleague Liu Yaodong in Guanlan, Bao’an.