Huge ancient stone murals discovered in central China (4)

Combo photo taken on Sept. 21, 2022 shows auspicious cloud patterns on stone murals discovered in the Zhouqiao relics site in Kaifeng City, central China's Henan Province.

Two stone murals from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) have been unearthed in Henan Province, which are the largest of their kind ever found in the country, archaeologists said Wednesday.

The murals, discovered in the Zhouqiao relics site in Kaifeng City, are symmetrically distributed along the northern and southern banks at the east side of the Zhouqiao Bridge.

The murals are 3.3 meters in height, and it has been revealed that the excavated length of the south bank mural is 23.2 meters, while that of the northern one is 21.2 meters.

The stone murals are engraved with auspicious patterns of traditional Chinese culture such as seahorses, flying cranes and clouds.

Further excavation and cleanup work is still in progress, said Zhou Runshan, head of the excavation project, adding that the total length of a single mural is presumed to be about 30 meters.

It is estimated that the total length of the stone murals is expected to reach about 100 meters and the total carved area will reach around 400 square meters upon complete excavation of the murals on both east and west sides of the bridge, Zhou added. (Xinhua/Li An)