The year in review: Ten top stories of 2018

9 Cultural and sports center opens in Rudong

The first phase of the cultural and sports center at Rudong county, Nantong, southeast of Jiangsu province, Aug 20, 2018 [Photo/Rudong Daily]

The first phase of the cultural and sports center finished construction and opened to the public at Rudong county on Aug 20, 2018.

The center, which started construction in 2016, covers a building area of more than 88,080 square meters.

With a total investment of 730 million yuan, the center includes a culture center, a library, museums, gymnasiums and fitness facilities.

10 Relics of ancient temple discovered in Rudong

Relics of Guoqing Temple dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were discovered at Juegang town in Rudong county, according to a press conference held on July 20, 2018.

The conference, organized by Nanjing University and the county-level government reviewed the discoveries made in archaeological exploration and excavation of the Guoqing Temple in the past year, claiming that 17 heritage sites and thousands of cultural relics were found.

The discovery of the Guoqing Temple site fills in the statistical gap about temples in southern China. The extensive cultural exchanges between the temple and the outside world, which are key to the study of those between ancient China and Japan, are now more apparent.

The cultural relics are also considered of crucial historical, scientific, artistic and cultural value in research on the Marine Silk Route and others routes linking cities in China, including Yangzhou, with Japan.