In 1998, the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other institutions excavated tombs of cremation at Heshangta in Luxi County, Red River Prefecture. The 210 tombs excavated are oval graves except for a rectangular shaft. According to the types of crematory jar-coffins and the copper coins associated with them, the tombs can be roughly divided into three phases.The first phase is represented by jars of Types C and G and blue-and-white porcelain jars with sophisticated design, and dates from the mid Song through the early Yuan dynasty. The second phase features the use of Types A and B jars exclusively for cremation, double-jar coffins and vessel stands, and goes back to the late Yuan through early Ming period. The third phase saw the popularity of glazed and glazeless pottery single-jar coffins and the rareness of double-jar ones, and can be assigned to the mid and late Ming period. Thus the cemetery covers the time from the mid and late Song to the final stage of the Ming Dynasty.