Two archaeological discoveries supplement the history of Jilin

After several years' digging, archaeological teams in Jilin province have made two major discoveries at the Baomacheng Relics and the Dongtuanshan Relics.

The team has determined the basic style and architectural layout of the Baomashan Relics and confirmed that the relics are the site of the Temple of the God of Changbai Mountain in the Jin Dynasty (115-1234), the first mountain god temple relics found outside the Central Plains of China.

The Baomacheng Relics are a major recent archaeological discovery in Jilin province. [Photo provided to ejilin.gov.cn]

The Baomacheng Relics are located at Antu county of Jilin province, 50 kilometers from the main peak of Changbai Mountain. To determine the basic style and layout of the relics, the local government organized a team to work with members of the Institute of Archaeology of Jilin province and the Institute of Borders Archaeology of Jilin University.

The team has concluded that the relics display a high-level architecture with exquisite decoration from the Jin Dynasty.

After taking into account many historical materials in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Song Dynasty (960-1279), the team believes that the relics are the old site of the sacrificial Temple of the God of Changbai Mountain built by the royal family.

Team leader Zhao Junjie says that the discovery will benefit research on the social customs and religions of Northeast China and the cultural communications between South China and North China in the Jin Dynasty.

Another important discovery was at the Dongtuanshan Relics. The team of the Institute of Archaeology of Jilin Province has confirmed that the relics are no dated no later than the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).

With the digs at the relics this year, experts now have more information on the site of Fuyu Nation, a local authority in Northeast China from the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD24) to the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420).

An archaeologist repairs unearthed artifacts of the Dongtuanshan relics. [Photo provided to ejilin.gov.cn]

The discovery has answered some questions that troubled experts by strongly suggesting, through dating and analysis of architectural styles, that their guess that the Dongtuanshan Relics is the site of the Fuyu Nation was correct.

The academics are now surer of their supposition but further work remains to be done.