SHIJIAZHUANG, March 15 (Xinhua) -- A stone tablet dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) has been found in north China's Hebei Province, local authorities said Friday.
The tablet, dating back to the ruling period of Emperor Daoguang, has a history of 181 years. Found in the city of Dingzhou, the tablet measures 200 cm in height, 80 cm in width, and is 25 cm thick.
The tablet has an inscription with 1,030 characters that describes the scale and the reasons for the reconstruction of the Dingzhou Examination Hall, an imperial examination hall that was first built in the ruling period of Emperor Qianlong and reconstructed in the ruling period of Emperor Daoguang.
"The discovery of the stone tablet provides valuable materials to the research into the imperial examination system in feudal China and changes in the administrative division in the Qing Dynasty," said Zhang Li with the Dingzhou Examination Hall.
