Guangyuan adds about 500 precious relics

Guangyuan of Southwest China's Sichuan province added 495 pieces or sets of cultural relics, of which five are rated as first-level cultural relics and 49 are rated as second-level.

A tortoiseshell bowl made by the Guangyuan kiln during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), which was collected in the Wan'an Museum, was identified as a first-class cultural relic.

The Guangyuan kiln site is seven kilometers north of the city's urban area. It began operation in Tang Dynasty (618-907) and had its heyday in Song Dynasty, catering to the tastes of both North and South China. At that time, its porcelain was sold all over the country and even shipped abroad.

A grey pottery figurine of a warrior with a shield that dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) was also rated as a national first-class art work.

The warrior is delicate in appearance. It wears a flat cap and appears to be smiling from any angle. With its large size, unique appearance, and little to no damage, it is rare among pottery figurines of the Han Dynasty unearthed in Sichuan.

Last year, the city invited experts from the Sichuan Station of the China Cultural Relics Import and Export Appraisal Station three times to carry out appraisal and grading work on a total of 1,927 pieces or sets of collections in the area.