After six years of excavation, Shanghai Museum introduced the latest discovery of the ruins in Shanghai's Longping Temple on Thursday.
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Aerial view the ancient Qinglong township ruins in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Xinhua] |
A complete preserved underground palace was found at the foot of the tower at the Longping Temple, which is a rectangle shape, 1.48 meters long, 1.2 meters wide and 1.42 meters high.
 | Excavations at the ancient Qinglong township ruins in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Eastday] |
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Porcelain pieces unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Xinhua] |
The underground palace is concreted with slab stone inside and carpeted with tens of thousands of coins from different periods, ranging from Han Dynasty (206 BC-220) to Song Dynasty (960-1279).
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Building components and restored porcelain works unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in
Shanghai, East China [Credit: Eastday] |
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Restored porcelain works unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Eastday] |
A "taohan", which is a set of boxes used to place Buddha sarira (or sheli in Chinese), was also found in the palace. It has four levels; the outermost is made of wood, iron, gild wood and silver, from outside to inside. Colorful gems are paved at the bottom of the silver box, and a Shakjamuni Nirvana statue is set above.
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Restored porcelain works unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Xinhua] |
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Porcelain pieces unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in Shanghai
[Credit: Eastday] |
In addition, offerings include silver chopsticks, spoons, foxes, a turtle statue, copper mirror and crystal Buddha beads are found hidden in the wooden box. A copper vase is found in the "taohan", which has four round beads inside, and three among them are made of crystal, which are guessed to be the holy Buddha sariras.
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Relics unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Eastday] |
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Pagodas unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Eastday] |
The findings coincide with historical records saying the pagoda in the Longping Temple has Buddha sarira.
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Buddha sariras and the copper vase used to place them unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township
ruins are shown in Shanghai, East China [Credit: Eastday] |
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Crystal Buddha beads unearthed from the ancient Qinglong township ruins are seen in Shanghai, East China
[Credit: Eastday] |
The Qinglong township ruins are located in today's Baihe township of Qingpu district in Shanghai, and records show it was an important trade port in Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties.
 | A statue of Gautama Buddha unearthed from the terrestrial palace of Longping temple at the ancient
Qinglong township ruins is shown in Shanghai, East China [Credit: Xinhua] |
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A gilt copper Asoka pagoda unearthed from the terrestrial palace of Longping Temple at the
ancient Qinglong township ruins is seen in Shanghai, East China [Credit: Xinhua] |
In recent years, more than 6,000 restorable porcelain items and tens of thousands of broken porcelain pieces from nearby provinces were found among the ruins, which offers new evidence that Qinglong township was an important port along the Maritime Silk Road.
The discovery of the Longping temple, pagoda and its terrestrial palace in 2015 and 2016 helped researchers study the layout of the township as well as the history of China's ancient buildings and Buddhism.
Source: China Daily [December 13, 2016]
