Chinese archaeologists said pieces of newly unearthed porcelain
waist drums in East China's Jiangxi Province indicate there were close
links between the province and both central and western Asian
countries more than 1,200 years ago.
The drums were found at a site of celadon potteries of the Tang
Dynasty ( 618 A.D.-907 A.D.) in Yugan County. The site also proved
for the first time that Jiangxi's celadon history dates back to the
Tang Dynasty, according to archaeologists.
The remains of the porcelain waist drums, also unearthed in the
province for the first time, were delicate in quality and were made
with advanced skills, said Yu Jiadong, a researcher with the
Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute.
The unearthed drums, which are shaped like a dumbbell, are up to
40 centimeters in length, and the diameter of their drumheads can
reach 20 centimeters, according to Yu.
This kind of waist drum was originally a percussion instrument
popular among people in central and western Asian countries, Yu
said.
The porcelain waist drums were export-oriented products in
ancient China which suggests there were close economic and cultural
exchanges between Jiangxi and central and western Asia, said
Yu.
At the site, more than 3,000 pieces of porcelain products and
production tools were also unearthed, which experts said confirmed
that Jiangxi was also a major base of celadon production.
(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2006)
