Rare Qin Dynasty Stone Carvings Found at Recordโค Altitude on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
QINGHAI, CHINA – Archaeologists have discovered stone carvings dating back to the Qin โDynasty (221-206 BCE) at an unprecedented altitude on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, marking โthe highest-altitude evidence yet ofโ Qin โฃDynasty activity. The find suggests the โขcultural influence of the Central Plainsโ extended deep โinto western Chinaโฃ duringโฃ the reign of Qin Shihuang.
The carvings were discovered in Kunlun, Qinghai Province. According โto a report by China’s โฃState Administration ofโค Cultural Heritage, the stone โคis quartz โsandstone, chosen forโ its durability and resistance โคto weathering.
“After laboratory analysis, the lithology of โthe carved stone is quartz โsandstone, with high wear resistance โฃand โคstrong weather resistance,” stated Deng chao, director โคof the Cultural Relics and Historic Department of the State administration of Cultural Heritage.
Li Li,deputy director of the Chinese Institute ofโ Cultural Heritage,noted the site’s favorable conditions for preservation. โค”The carvedโค stone facesโฃ theโฃ southeast, โbacked by โคmountains and water,โฃ and is affected by โwind erosion and high-temperature radiation of light, which is relatively weak, which is conducive to long-term preservation.” Analysis also โฃruledโข out the use of modern tools in โthe carvings’ creation, finding minimalโค elemental composition differences between carved and uncarved areas and detecting no traces of tungsten orโ cobalt.
Theโค discovery is linked to โขhistoricalโข accounts of Qin Shihuang dispatching expeditions to seek elixirs of immortality in the region. The State Administration of cultural Relics has designated the carvings as โcounty-level cultural relics protection units, with plans to elevate them to national key cultural relics protectionโค status. โฃRegional archaeological surveys are planned to identify โadditional cultural relics in the area. (Editor: Lu โขJiarong/Chen Kaiyu) 1140916