Two stone murals from the Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1127, have been unearthed in central China’s Henan Province.
These were the largest of their kind ever found in the country, archaeologists said on Wednesday.
The murals, discovered in the Zhouqiao relics site in Kaifeng City, were symmetrically distributed along the northern and southern banks at the east side of the Zhouqiao Bridge.
The murals were 3.3 meters in height, and it had been revealed that the excavated length of the south bank mural is 23.2 metres, while that of the northern one is 21.2 metres.
The stone murals were engraved with auspicious patterns of traditional Chinese culture such as seahorses, flying cranes and clouds.
Further excavation and cleanup work remained in progress, said Zhou Runshan, head of the excavation project.
He added that the total length of a single mural was presumed to be about 30 metres.
It was estimated that the total length of the stone murals was expected to reach about 100 meters.
The total carved area would reach around 400 square meters upon complete excavation of the murals on both east and west sides of the bridge, Zhou added.
“In terms of scale, subject and style, the stone murals can represent the highest standards of the stonework system and the highest level of carving techniques during the Northern Song Dynasty,’’ said Zheng Yan.
Yan is a professor at Peking University’s School of Arts.
“It is an important discovery that enriches and rewrites the art history of the Song Dynasty,’’ he added.
Zhouqiao Bridge was built between 780 and 783 in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) across the Grand Canal, a vast waterway connecting the northern and southern parts of China.
It was a landmark structure in the central axis of Kaifeng City and was buried in 1642 by mud and sand due to the flooding of the Yellow River.
Archaeological excavation of the Zhouqiao site was launched in 2018.
So far, a total of 4,400 square meters of the site had been excavated, and 117 sites of remains and ruins have been found.
Xinhua/NAN
