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A joint archaeological team featuring researchers and historians from China and Uzbekistan. This group has spent the last few years digging into the past, near the Uzbek city of Andijon. And to mark the latest milestone in their efforts, the panel has unveiled a monument from ancient Mingtepa to the public, a move aimed at showcasing why it is so valuable to learn as much as we can, about long forgotten chapters of history.

The ancient city of Mingtepa was located on a major trade route at the southern end of the Fergana Valley. The China-Uzbekistan joint archaeological team has dug into the important historical site four times since 2012. The combined exploration efforts in the town of Marhmat are part of an agreement reached by social science academies from the two sides, which set up a five-year cultural study of areas near the Central Asian metropolis of Andijon.

Their research is scheduled to come to an end later this year. The cooperation between the two groups marks China's biggest archaeological project in a foreign country, and is also seen as an important symbol of the nation's bilateral relationship with Uzbekistan.

"We have learned the relatively accurate layout and time of the ancient city, thanks to the joint exploration, and the efforts of the archaeologists," said Zhu Yanshi, Chinese joint team leader.

"We erected the monument to commemorate the joint archaeological activities. The Silk Road that started from Xi'an passed this area 2,300 years ago. Now our work shows the city of Mingtepa to the world again, which I think is quite an accomplishment. Our research on ancient Uzbekistan will continue in the future with the help of our Chinese colleagues," said Kokijon Matbabayeav, Uzebkistani joint team leader.

The joint archaeological team is also planning to build a museum near the historic site to help more learn about its ancient glory.