More than 100 artifacts from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including rare finds such as carbonized grains and ancient coins, have been unearthed at the Jiankou section of the Great Wall in Beijing. The precious discoveries were made during an archaeological project on the Great Wall that is expected to be completed by the end of August.
This project is to support the fifth phase of the Jiankou Great Wall restoration. The project is the first time the "excavation while restoration" method has been applied.
The measure highlights China's growing creativity in protecting the modern-day Great Wall, the Global Times said.
In April this year, archaeological work was carried out at the Jiankou section of the Great Wall. Two months later, restoration work began. This arrangement is to provide timely solutions to areas in need of repair on the Great Wall, according to archaeologist Wang Meng.
Within the next few months, three groups of artifacts from the Great Wall were "rescued" by Chinese scientists, including architectural elements such as monster-shaped decorations, military artifacts such as cannons, and ancient everyday items such as coins.
Despite their small size, carbonized grain seeds were also unearthed. These are important discoveries that show human activity on the Great Wall.
Shang Heng, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Archaeology, China , who heads the archaeological project at the Great Wall section, said the discovery of the grains showed "the eating habits and outdoor cooking style like barbecue" of the ancient garrison soldiers.
"Such archaeological discoveries add many interesting stories to the Great Wall culture. These stories bring the ancient heritage alive and closer to us," he added.
In the Jiankou section excavation and restoration project, archaeological activities are integrated with research on plants, animals, environment and digital technology.
Using digital technology, more than 8,000 photographs, along with techniques such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveying and 3D modeling, were deployed to create a comprehensive digital profile of the Jiankou Great Wall section.
Shang Jinyu, the expert in charge of the digital project, pointed out that the flexibility of machines like UAVs could help researchers discover "some neglected and extremely vulnerable sections that need to be repaired" of the Great Wall.
Similar to the digital strategy applied at the Jiankou Great Wall section, Mr. Li Dan - representative of the Badaling Great Wall Management Office said that 18 UAV patrol routes have been allocated along the Badaling section to support safety management and promote local tourism.
