The archaeological ruins of an ancient promenade. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The recently unearthed archaeological ruins of Shuomen ancient port in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province bring alive the hustle and bustle of the Maritime Silk Road in the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368), local media outlets report.

The archaeological exploration and excavation was jointly carried out by the cultural relics and archaeology institutes of Zhejiang province and Wenzhou city.

The site, spanning a total length of about 400 meters and a width of 10 meters, used to be the business area of Beibu, or North Port in ancient Wenzhou, and nowadays has become a part of Wangjiang Road, an urban main road in Lucheng district.

The excavation was kicked off last year as a significant amount of cultural relics was discovered coincidently during an urban upgrading project to relieve the traffic congestion in surrounding areas.