Two stone inscriptions from Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province, have been included in the first batch of ancient famous inscriptions and engravings, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced on July 14.
A total of 1,658 important artifacts, including stone inscriptions and cliff carvings, dating from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), made the list.
These artifacts are distributed among 323 cultural heritage protection units and 221 cultural heritage collection units across the country.
One of the Jinhua inscriptions is the stone tablet written by Lu You (1125-1210), a prominent poet during the Southern Song Dynasty. The stone tablet measures 220 centimeters in height, 110 cm in width, and 13 cm in thickness, with inscriptions on both sides.
The inscriptions, consisting of 626 characters in regular script, record the history and reconstruction process of the Zhizhe Temple.
Another inscription is a small golden dragon collected in the Yiwu Museum, which dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) as well.
The dragon, which measures 15.5 cm in length and weighs 6.8 grams, was unearthed in 1984 and is considered an invaluable treasure.
Ancient stone inscriptions and engravings serve as unique carriers of historical and cultural information, and incorporate various art forms such as calligraphy, painting, and carving.
