The first part of this story was written in 2017. It happened in China. It was one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the year: Jiangkou Chenyin. It is located on the banks of the Min River near the town of Meishán in the Sichuan province. There it is believed that a battle took place at the end of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century. The fabulous seal of the Ming Dynasty would be there much later.
In search of treasures
The first excavations have already thrown thousands of objects of great value. A second and even a third excavation was organized. The latter ended on January 10th. It was headed by archaeologist Liu Zhiyan. And among other things, he found this magnificent relic. He discovered a large treasure of around 10,000 pieces. Below are coins and items of great value made from gold and other precious metals. It was released by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
A seal stands out from all of them, the fabulous seal of the Ming Dynasty. It weighs almost eight kilograms. According to The Times newspaper, it is 95 percent gold. Not less. At 370 years old, it measures 10 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide. It's 2.5 inches thick.
The piece has broken into four parts. The words "Shu Shi Zi Bao" appear in it, which means "Prince Shu's treasure". According to the experts, this inscription proves that it belonged to a member of the imperial family. Experts believe that it was deliberately torn to pieces. It must have been when the monarchy was overthrown during a violent and bloody peasant uprising.
At the bottom of the river
The uprising was led by Zhang Xianzhong and thus conquered Sichuan and Chengdu in 1644. It occurred during the fall of the Ming dynasty. Liu told the Daily Mail: "The most plausible theory is that he had the seal and broke it to symbolize the end" of the imperial line.
Historical texts refer to events of the time. Zhang is said to have fled Chengdu by boat in 1646 to escape the Manchu (the founders of the last Chinese dynasty, the Qing). It was when he encountered an ambush by General Yang Zhan, who remained loyal to the Ming Dynasty. There he reportedly lost around 1,000 ships and his treasures sank deep in the Min River.
It is these treasures that buried the fabulous Ming Dynasty seal that can now be found.
