Over 1,200-yr-old stone tablet found in North China

SHIJIAZHUANG - A stone tablet dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) has been discovered in North China's Hebei province, local authorities said Thursday.

Found in Songtai village in Nanhe county, the tablet, which is believed to have been made during the reign of Emperor Dezong, has a history of 1,225 years, according to the county's publicity department.

The body of the cuboid is 216 cm tall, 80 cm wide and 22 cm thick, with a well-preserved pedestal decorated with exquisite carvings on all four sides.

The tablet has an inscription of more than 1,300 characters describing administrative division back then as well as the story of Song Jing, a chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, whose hometown is in Songtai village.

Song assisted Emperor Xuanzong to create the Kaiyuan Era (713-741), one of the golden ages of Chinese history.

The tablet provides important materials for the study of Song and the administrative division in the Tang Dynasty, said Yao Yajie, head of the county's cultural heritage administration.