The discovery of ancient porcelain at a construction site in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, attracted hundreds of treasure hunters, Qianjiang Evening News reported on Wednesday.

The porcelain was probably produced in the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties and in the past month some 100 people went to the construction site at night to search for treasure.

On Tuesday afternoon, archaeologists from the city's archaeology institute went to the construction site for further investigation and discussed protection plans with the builders.

Archaeologists said that the spot where the ancient porcelain was found might have been a place where broken porcelain was kept and the chances of finding intact pieces were slim.

Mei Ning, a local lawyer, said that unauthorized digging for ancient porcelain was illegal and those who did would be punished according to the law.