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Mythical basement unveiled
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ARCHAEOLOGISTS are thrilled by the discovery of a treasure yesterday during a dig of the ruins beneath the legendary Leifeng Tower, which collapsed in 1924 beside the picturesque West Lake in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
There, archaeologists discovered a 60-70cm bronze Buddha statue, which they say could probably categorized as a Class A national relic.
The ongoing excavation will hopefully lead to more finds, according to archaeologists. So far eight relics have been found, including the statue, two bronze mirrors and a wooden comb, by 3pm yesterday. Ancient books describe the tower's basement as housing some of Buddha's hair and other holy relics plus treasures including ceramics dating from the Warring States period.
Many objects have been found since archaeologists started digging into the rubble of the tower last February. They located the entrance to the basement at the end of last year and lifted the 750kg slab that sealed the entrance yesterday.
Chen Wenjing, vice-director-general of the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, told reporters that the relics under the tower would help archaeologists study the history of the Wu and Yue States during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC) and the economy and culture of Zhejiang Province at that time.
The Agricultural Bank in Zhejiang Province said yesterday it would finance the reconstruction of the tower with a loan of 60 million yuan (US$7.23 million).
The ruined tower still captivates many Chinese people, many of whom wonder if the legendary white snake, said to have been confined to the basement of the tower, is still there. The spirit of the female snake was captured by a monk and imprisoned under the tower for an “inappropriate" romance between her and a young scholar, the legend says.(Lin Min)
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