Ming Dynasty stone inscription discovered in North China

SHIJIAZHUANG -- Cultural relics workers in North China's Hebei province have discovered a 427-year-old stone inscription detailing the construction of a temple.

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) inscription was found on a bluestone tablet, 3.2 meters long, 1 meter wide, and 30 centimeters thick, in Daying village of Daliuzhuang township in Linxi county, according to the cultural heritage protection department of the county.

The front side of the tablet depicts the name of a Taoist temple, and the back has 596 Chinese characters introducing the construction process and related ceremonial activities.

Zhang Xia, head of the county's cultural heritage preservation institute, said the discovery is a rare "temple biography" inscription, complete in shape and legible in a text context. It is significant in understanding the culture and customs of that time.