The foundations of early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) palace buildings have been found at Beijing's Forbidden City, Beijing Times reported.
根据《京华时报》报道，近日，北京故宫内发现了明代(1368-1644年)早期宫殿建筑基址。
Archaeologists found the remains at Changxin Gate of Cining Palace (The Palace of Compassion and Tranquility) in the west of the compound.
考古学家是在故宫西部的慈宁宫长信门发现的这一遗址。

The ruins, in a pit 2.5 meters wide and 5.4 meters long, showed evidence walls, pile caps, layers of mud and bricks etc..
此遗址在宽2.5米、长5.4米的探坑内，显示有墙壁、桩承台、夯土夯砖层等遗迹。
This was the first time such large scale Ming ruins had been found at the Forbidden City, although the exact size of the wall base remains unknown.
这是首次在紫禁城内发现明代大型遗迹，不过目前墙基遗址的确切规模尚不清楚。
Archaeologists believe the ruins would be valuable in studying the history of Beijing and the Forbidden City as well as China's ancient architectural technology.
考古学家认为，此处遗址对研究北京、紫禁城和中国古代建筑技术具有重要价值。