China launches study to examine 1,100-year-old stone tablets

An examination of a group of 1,100-year-old stone tablets has been launched in China's northwestern Shaanxi Province to identify any damages to them.

The 114 tablets, which have a collection of Confucian works carved on them, are national-level cultural relics and are housed in Xi'an Beilin Museum in the provincial capital.

A total of 650,000 characters are engraved on the tablets.

The tablets were completed in 837 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and were important reference documents for academics in ancient times, Zhang Anxing from the museum was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency as saying today.

The museum said the tablets will be examined and repaired before they are moved to a new exhibition hall. An in-depth examination including 3D, X-ray and ultrasound scans will be carried out to collect data required to repair any damaged tablets.