Tang-Dynasty Temple Complex Unearthed in Southwest China

News January 19, 2021

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YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA—Xinhua News Agency reports that a Buddhist temple complex dated to the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618–906) has been discovered in southwest China’s city of Dali. The structures contained tons of tiles and pottery. The remains of brick and tile kilns were also uncovered at the site. Inscriptions suggest the temple may have held the remains of members of the royal court of the State of Nanzhao, which was made up of people from the Bai tribe and six tribes from the Erhai Region. The complex could therefore offer new information about the royal family’s funeral customs. To read about a Tang noblewoman’s burial unearthed in the ancient Chinese capital of Chang’an, go to “Prized Polo…Donkeys?

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