Chinese archaeologists were surprised to discover that an ancient sword they had unearthed were in near perfect condition.

Last Friday, experts pulled out the blade from its scabbard and realised that the 2,300-year-old relic was shiny and sharp.

The traditional Chinese weapon was found inside an ancient coffin in Henan Province in central China, where the Chinese civilisation is thought to have originated.

Ancient weapon: A 2,300-year-old sword has been unearthed in China which is still sharp

Lethal: The sword was found inside a coffin dating back to the Chu Kingdom (770-223 BC)

The sword, discovered by archaeologists from Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, was believed to be from China's Warring States period (475 BC -221 BC).

It had been kept inside the coffin at the left-hand side of its owner.

Archaeologists found the blade in a laboratory as they opened the coffin, which had been excavated from the No.18 ancient tomb in the ruins of Chengyang city.

After carefully removing the mud-covered sword from the coffin, archaeologists cleaned the sheath before separating the blade from its cover at around 12pm on December 30.

Impressive blade: Experts were stunned when they pulled out the blade and found it glittering

The sword was found in Henan, where the Chinese civilisation is thought to have originated

According to a statement from Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, all experts were surprised when the blade turned out to be in near mint condition.

A member of the staff filmed the moment two archaeologists pulled out the sword and uploaded the footage onto the institute's official account on Weibo the same day.

WHY IS CHENGYANG CITY IMPORTANT Chengyang ancient city is the best preserved and largest city of the ancient kingdom of Chu (770-223 BC). It is located 25km (15.5 miles) north of Xinyang city in Henan Province. The city is believed to be first established 2,700 years ago as the barracks of the Chu Kingdom. The Chu emperor set up a temporary capital in Chengyang in 278BC after being defeated by the neighbouring Qin kingdom. Chengyang continued to be a political, economic, cultural and military centre in the following millennium. Advertisement

The 12-second clip has been played more than nine million times. Viewers were stunned by ancient Chinese craftsmen's sword-making skills as the weapon was still lethal after more than two millennia.

The footage was also widely shared by Chinese media, including CCTV News.

Liu Yong, the deputy supervisor of the Chengyang Protected District, witnessed the sword-drawing ceremony.

He was impressed by the ancient sabre. He said through a poem that though the loyal general had died, his treasured sword was still glittering.

Wu Zhijiang, a team leader from Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, was one of the two archaeologists who pulled the sword.

Mr Wu told MailOnline that it was in fact not uncommon to see well-protected ancient swords in the region.

He explained that the ancient tombs from the Chu Kingdom were usually sealed off from the outside world in a humid environment, so weapons would not oxidise easily.