Royal temple excavated in northeast China

Ruins at the foot of Mount Changbai are believed to be a Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) royal temple, archaeologists said on Thursday.

The ruins of the town of Baoma, on a hill in Antu County in northeast China's Jilin Province, have been shown to be the oldest temple used by the royal family for worship at the sacred Mount Changbai.

The ruins were excavated in August and September. Red peelings from the walls and remnants of painted beams were found on the floor, normally signs of a palace or temple. Hundreds of ceramic building components, iron nails, some porcelain and ironware with the characteristics of the Jin Dynasty were also unearthed.

The location and wall length (about 465 meters) of the ruins match the description of the royal temple in Jin records, said Zhao Junjie of research center for Chinese frontier archaeology at Jilin University.

Zhao believes the new discovery will help research into the religion, customs and architecture at the time. Archeologists will conduct extensive excavation of the ruins next year.