Shanxi archaeology online and offline selection of "famous corners": experts and people work together to discover cultural charm

Shanxi held the second Shanxi Archaeological New Discoveries Forum.　Photo by Li Xinsuo

Taiyuan, 11 Jan (Xinhua) -- From the site of China's prehistoric "most complete capital city elements", to the statue of the Thousand Buddha Cliffs in Huozhou, which was carved in the Gaowu period of the Tang Dynasty, to the tomb of king Duan of Jin in the Ming Dynasty. On the afternoon of the 11th, shanxi cultural relics and archaeologists joined hands with cultural enthusiasts to jointly select the important archaeological discoveries of Shanxi in 2021 online and offline.

On the same day, at the Second Shanxi Archaeological New Discoveries Forum, through archaeological project reports, experts and media selection, Shanxi selected 6 "2021 Shanxi Important Archaeological Discoveries" in the 12 "2021 Shanxi Important Archaeological Discoveries" shortlisted projects, and the time span continued from the Neolithic Era to the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Xiaoyi, chairman of the Shanxi Archaeological Society and president of the Shanxi Institute of Archaeology, announced the following names: Taiyuan Jiancaoping Town Neolithic Ruins, Linfen Xiangfen Pottery Temple Neolithic Ruins, Yuncheng Yuanqu North White Goose Two Weeks Cemetery, Datong City Pingcheng District Zhijiabao North Wei Lv Continued Relief Painted Stone Tomb, Linfen Huozhou Thousand Buddha Cliff Ruins, Taiyuan City Xiaodian District Ming Dynasty Fan King Tomb.

The ruins of Tao Temple are located about 7 kilometers northeast of Xiangfen County, Linfen City. Since the official archaeological excavation in 1978, many archaeological discoveries have confirmed that this is the site of the "most complete capital city elements" in prehistory in China, with clear functional partitions such as palace areas, storage areas, cemeteries, and image worship areas.

"In 2021, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology jointly formed a team to excavate 1490 square meters, which comprehensively exposed the base site of Palace No. 1." Project leader Gao Jiangtao said that the excavation confirmed the existence of the largest palace building in the ruins of Miyagi Castle, with an area of 6,500 square meters, which is the largest rammed earth building site in the prehistoric period so far.

In addition, archaeologists found two main halls, the east side of the annex, the central courtyard, etc. on the base site of the building, which are complex in structure, regular in layout, rare in prehistory, and should be the source of the ancient Chinese palace form.

Gao Jiangtao said that the excavation and discovery of large rammed earth building sites in Miyagi Castle, the site of Tao Temple, is of great significance to the study of major topics such as the origin of Chinese civilization and early China.

This year, in Datong, Shanxi, archaeologists discovered the only local tomb with relief painted belt front porch imitation wood and stone rafters.

The Shengxian figures and guide maps carved by the "Northern Wei Lü Continuum Relief Painted Stone Tomb" have obvious Han Dynasty relics and religious colors, while the exotic town tomb warrior statues on the outside of the south wall provide new physical materials for the study of ethnic integration and cultural exchanges between China and the West.

In this regard, Zhang Qingjie, a researcher at the Shanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute, said that the statue of the Heavenly King in the above tomb is closely related to Buddhism, and the posture of the mural immortal figure is close to the flying sky in the Yungang Grottoes. These are closely related to the Yungang Grottoes.

In addition, the inscription information in the tomb indicates that the owner of the tomb is a native of present-day Fufeng County, Shaanxi. This information, along with information on other stone tombs in Datong, proves that the Integration and Interaction of the Datong Ethnic Groups during the Northern Wei Dynasty was frequent.

Although the grotto temples in Shanxi are rich in remains, there are fewer systematic archaeological excavations. In 2021, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology and Peking University jointly excavated the "Huozhou Thousand Buddha Cliff Statue". According to preliminary statistics, there are more than 70 niches and about 300 statues in this area. Above the cliff wall is a 6-meter-high seated Buddha, carved from the "Gaowu Period" of the Tang Dynasty.

Project excavator Bai Shuzhang introduced that the five eleven-sided Guanyin statues found this time are a significant feature of the statue of the Thousand Buddha Cliffs in Huozhou.

Bai Shuzhang said that the above-mentioned statues were first chiseled in the "Gaowu Period" of the Tang Dynasty, mainly after the opening of the Tang Dynasty, and were an important group of medium-sized statues of the Tang Dynasty in Shanxi. The statues are not only in the style of Taiyuan Tianlongshan Grottoes, but also influenced by the Tang Dynasty statue styles of Luoyang Longmen and Guanzhong.

On the same day, the Shanxi Archaeological Society invited the public to select 3 "most popular archaeological discoveries" through online channels. (End)