Hundreds of 1,000-year-old statues unearthed at ruins of ancient Chinese market


Photo from Shaanxi Provincial Government via Xi'an news network.

Moira Ritter
Wed, December 21, 2022 at 4:01 PM MST·1 min read

Hundreds of sculptures spent the past 1,000 years buried beneath the ruins of an ancient Chinese market. That is until Chinese archaeologists recently discovered the fragments.

Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences unearthed more than 680 fragments of Buddha and pagoda statues from the Tang dynasty, which existed from 618-907, according to a Dec. 20 news release from the Shaanxi Province.

The findings were discovered in the ruins of the East Market in Xi’an, about 700 miles southwest of Beijing.

The sculptures — made of clay, ceramic and stone — show elements unique to the Tang period, such as colored drawings and gold decorations, experts said. Since they were discovered, the fragments have been packaged and moved for further research.

The East Market was once “a flourishing business center,” according to the Global Times. The latest discovery further indicates that the market was an international trade center, and experts said it will help with a better understanding of the ancient city.

“This archaeological discovery is of great significance to the restoration of Chang’an avenue and the enhancement of our cultural confidence. It can reproduce the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty,” Yu Jinlong, a cultural expert in Beijing, told the Global Times.