According to Weekly of China’s Cultural Relics, the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has conducted archaeological excavations at the Kayak Kuduk site 90 km southeast from the Weili County, Xinjiang, from 2019 to 2021. A total of more than 1450 pieces (sets) of cultural relics was unearthed, of which the 883 pieces of written materials on paper and wood slips were most notable, because it is not only the largest number of written materials from the Tang dynasty unearthed in China, but also the first discovery of Tang inscribed wood slips with Chinese characters.
The excavation was enlisted as one of the 2019 “Chinese Archaeology” major achievements alongside the Silk Road and “China’s 2020 Archeological Discoveries of the Year”. Mr. Wang Wei, president of the Archaeological Society of China, said that the beacon site in Xinjiang played an irreplaceable role in maintaining the smooth transportation on the Silk Road, guaranteeing the government’s effective jurisdiction and governance over the Western Regions. The artifacts unearthed from the site are valuable primary written data to study the military, politics, economy, society, culture and other sectors of the Tang dynasty, filling many gaps in historical documents handed down over generations. Mr. Liu Qingzhu, distinguished professor of Zhengzhou University, China, believes the beacon towers have witnessed the beginning of the Silk Road in ancient China and the protection of the Silk Road, which effectively support the country’s governance system.
Source: Weekly of China's Cultural Relics