An elderly man recently dug through a tunnel in his house in rural Louyang, Central China's Henan Province, which was later found to be an ancient tunnel dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Photo: screenshot of Feidian Video on Sina Weibo.

An elderly man recently dug through a tunnel in his house in rural Louyang, Central China's Henan Province, which was later found to be an ancient tunnel dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Surprisingly, the intricate, winding tunnel is linked to every household in the village. 

Jia Pengju, a 75-year-old villager in Luoyang, discovered the entrance of the tunnel in his house, which was sealed with bricks and thick dirt. It took him and his daughter two years to dig through it. 

In a video that surfaced on Chinese social media Monday, the ancient tunnel is shown to be intricate and winding, allowing just one person to barely pass through at its narrowest point. 

According to the local cultural relics department, the tunnel was built in the Song Dynasty, and is at least a thousand years old. It was probably used as an emergency gateway to store food and hide from enemy invasion. 

"I did it to remind our offspring of the wisdom of ancient people," Jia said. 

Global Times