Gold rings.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The war went on and off for nearly 45 years between 1235 and 1279. In 1279, eight years after the Mongol rulers founded the Yuan Dynasty (The capital was in Beijing), the last Song emperor - an 8-year-old boy - jumped into sea on the back of a loyal official. A page of history was turned.

The Mongol conquerors, described by some as "throat slayers", were not unknown for their killing sprees. Yet they spared all the craftspeople - goldsmiths and silversmiths included - so these artisans could continue to serve their new lords.

"Despite the rupture in many aspects of life - the Mongols were considered ethnic minorities with their own distinct culture - the metal jewelry from Yuan was not drastically different from that of Song," Shi says.

Over the past 60 years, especially since the 1970s, more and more discoveries have been made concerning those left-behind storage places. "Unlike tombs, these storage areas were not meant to be found. Almost all were discovered by local farmers by accident," Shi says.