Archaeologists in southwest China's Sichuan Province have found a tourist map in a local temple, claiming that it had been carved on a cliff about 1,130 years ago.

The map, 1.5 meters wide and 1 meter tall, is carved on a huge cliff near the entrance of a passage leading to a shrine of the Chongxiang Temple, in the ancient town of Xiaoxi, which is held sacred by Buddhist believers.

Inscriptions on the map show that it was carved in 873 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

This is the oldest tourist map carved on stone that has ever been found in China's Buddhist temples, according to archaeologist Lin Xiang, who is also a professor with Sichuan University, and other archaeologists with the cultural heritage bureau of Guang'an City.

The map marks clearly the location, distribution and size of 20temple buildings and 50 shrines at the Chongxiang Temple.

Professor Lin said on the map, "east" and "west" are used to mark the orientation, wavy stripes represent the Qujiang River, a local water way, thick lines mark wide roads and thin lines represent footpaths.

Experts with the provincial cultural heritage bureau said the map is of significant value in the study of the history of Buddhism in the area in Tang Dynasty and provides important materials for the study of the origin and development of China's tourism industry.
 
(CCTV.com June 9, 2004)