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BFF-15
CHINA-FRESCO-DISCOVERY
13th-century frescoes discovered in China
XINING, Nov. 30, 2019 (BSS/XINHUA) – Three pieces of ancient Tibetan
Buddhist frescoes dating back to the 13th century were found in northwest
China’s Qinghai Province, local cultural and tourism authorities said.
The frescoes, which were discovered in Nangqian County, Yushu Tibetan
Autonomous Prefecture, in the source area of the Lancang River, features
significant characteristics of Indian Pala art style, and have extremely high
value for historical human research.
Remains of an ancient temple were discovered in June when villagers of
Duochang were working on a local mountain. They found three pieces of murals
on stone walls and reported to the local bureau of culture and tourism.
The frescoes might be created around the 13th century, said Luo Wenhua,
director of the Institute for the Research of Tibetan Buddhist Heritage under
the Palace Museum, during his field inspection to the ruins.
Carrying Tibetan inscriptions, the murals might be the earliest Tibetan
Buddhist frescoes that have ever been discovered in Qinghai Province, Luo
said.
The frescoes are of important value in the study of the ancestral
activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, according to the culture and tourism
department of Nangqian County.
BSS/XINHUA/GMR/1136 hrs