Jiayuguan, the western end of the Great Wall, is now building a subterranean museum to exhibit ancient frescos painted during the 220-420 period.
The underground gallery is located in an area 20 kilometers northeast of Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province, where there are over 1,000 ancient tombs and a 30-kilometer-long section of the Great Wall.
Over 700 murals have been discovered in nine of the old tombs which are three-story brick structures covered with vaultings, a kind of roof.
The frescos, which are painted with simple strokes but are very colorful, mostly depict people working in the farmland, picking mulberry leaves, herding, hunting, having banquets and playing games.
But some of the graphs and characters on the brick walls of the tombs are yet to be recognized, according to some experts who believe the murals could provide useful reference for research on politics, military affairs, culture and folk customs during that period.
Local authorities plan to connect six of the nine tombs underground to build subterranean exhibition halls which will be open to visitors.
The No. 6 tomb is of great value because it stores the murals of "Camel-Driving," which depicts commercial activities along the Silk Road, and "Postman," which is now the symbol for China Post.
What surprises local researchers is that these tombs and frescos have survived more than 1,000 years of weathering and natural calamities as the area stands in the Northwest China Seismic Belt.
Defensive ditches have been dug around the ancient tomb zone to prevent vehicles from entering and damaging the relics.
Meanwhile, the city government has worked out a complete plan on the underground exhibition of these ancient frescos.
(www.eastday.com)
