????An ancient bronze musket dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was found Tuesday in Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

????The artifact was discovered by a local resident in an urban area, said an archaeologist.

????The musket is 29.5 centimeters long, with a black and rough surface. The external diameter of the gun is five centimeters and the inside diameter is 2.5 centimeters.

????With a sight-line and a matchlock, the bore of the musket is 7.5 centimeters deep. Many Chinese characters carved on the gun surface can be identified, indicating its weight and date of production.

????After a quick analysis, archeologists decided that the gun was made in the early period of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, and it may even have been used in wars in the late years of the dynasty.

????(Xinhua 02/07/2001)