A 1,300-year-old cliff carving was recently found at a temple at Mount Lushan in east China's Jiangxi Province.

This was the oldest cliff carving ever spotted at Mount Lushan, a world cultural heritage site, and the only carving dating back from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a Chinese archaeologist said.

It was discovered in an ancient temple on the northern part of the scenic mountain during a recent cultural relics survey in the region.

The obverse side of the object was engraved with three big Chinese characters "Haihui Temple", the original name of the ancient temple, plus the title of the reign of Empress Wu Zetian during the Tang Dynasty, which was 1,309 years ago.

The reverse side bears a poem written in 1738. Currently, the lower part of the carving is still submerged in mud.

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2004)