The couple, from the Wuxing district in Huzhou, discovered a metal object of peculiar shape and archaic ornamentation while gathering discarded items by the riverside, The Paper reported. They realized that this "lump of metal" was unlike ordinary scrap iron—it felt unusually heavy and bore decorative patterns on its surface, the report said.

Convinced that the object, which resembled scrap iron, was not a modern item, they packed it in a gunny sack and delivered it in person to a local police station, per the report.

Upon preliminary inspection, the object appeared elongated and slender, with a surface patina of bluish‑green rust, per The Paper. Its faint decorative patterns were still discernible, and the form was neat and symmetrical, suggesting it might be an ancient bronze artifact, according to the report.

Police officers then conducted online research and compared the item with archaeological catalogs. Based on its weight, shape and decorative features, they preliminarily concluded that it was most likely a Gou Diao—a distinctive bronze percussion instrument unique to the Wu and Yue regions, which cover present-day areas such as Suzhou and were once under the rule of the Qin Empire (221 BC-207 BC), The Paper reported.

Gou Diao was a percussion instrument used by aristocracy in the Wu and Yue regions for sacrificial rituals and banquets. Renowned for its melodious sound, it also represented one of the highest achievements of bronze casting technology at that time, holding significant value for the study of ritual and musical systems of the pre-Qin period (pre-221 BC) in the Wu and Yue region.

To ensure an accurate assessment of the object, the local police officers also contacted the municipal cultural relics bureau and invited archaeological experts to conduct an on-site preliminary appraisal. 

After measurement, the experts confirmed that the artifact dates back no later than the Song Dynasty (1127-1279), with a history of at least 1,000 years, The Paper reported. Its form closely matches that of the bronze Gou Diao from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, and it possesses considerable historical, artistic, and scientific value, per the report.

The bronze Gou Diao has been formally transferred to the Huzhou municipal bureau of cultural relics for further examination, cleaning, and dating analysis, The Paper reported. It will be considered for incorporation into the exhibition plan of the local museum based on subsequent findings.