190-year-old stone tablet discovered in North China

SHIJIAZHUANG — A stone tablet dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) has been discovered in North China's Hebei province, local authorities said Wednesday.

The tablet, which was made in 1830 during the reign of Emperor Daoguang as shown on the inscriptions, was found by a reservoir in Xincheng village of Neiqiu county, Xingtai city.

The cuboid, which is 62 cm tall, 45 cm wide and 15 cm thick, features 225 character inscriptions describing the history of special farmland called "Jitian" in the village.

"Jitian" was public land property owned by a family in ancient China. The revenue from such farmland was used for ancestor worship, according to Li Hengkun, a local researcher.

"The discovery is of great value to the study of the changes of traditional customs of ancestor worship," Li said.