Imperial edict written on silk found in Hebei

An imperial edict dating to the reign of Emperor Guangxu during Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was found recently in Jize county of Handan, Hebei province.

The five-color silk edict (shengzhi in Chinese) is 142 years old. It measures 2.22 meters long and 0.3 meters wide, the county's cultural heritage authorities said.

It was found during an archaeological survey and is well-preserved, except for a small missing part.

The edict was written vertically in both Chinese and Manchu languages. It was issued by Emperor Guangxu to commend the family members of a military official for their good housekeeping and also to assign the official's brother to a post, said Zhao Yanping, an authority on local culture and history.

"It has high reference value in the study of the official system, social culture and etiquette system of the Qing Dynasty," Zhao said, adding that the edict will also provide materials for the study of local history and culture in the county.