Palace excavation unearths vital clues to the past

Comparisons made

Meng's team went to great lengths to decide which building materials to use for the restoration.

"We studied unearthed cultural relics and also architecture in the same area from the same period of time. We also examined buildings in paintings from the Song Dynasty," he said.

"Our team has done a lot of work comparing different kinds of wood and tiles. After carrying out extensive research and seeking the opinions of other experts, we finally chose to mainly use teak to restore the palace.

"We also made clay tiles based on the size and materials used for unearthed Song Dynasty tiles. When knocked together, the tiles have a clear sound, similar to that of metal."

Tang Junlong, engineer at the Zhejiang Institute of Traditional Architectural Design and Research, a member of the project team, said archaeological excavations at the site cover an area of 6,900 square meters.

Lang Xufeng, director of the World Cultural Heritage and Famous Cities Protection Division at the Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Gardening and Cultural Relics, said that since 2001, archaeologists have conducted four excavations at the site, finally determining that the palace covered a total area of 170,000 sq m.

The palace buildings and gardens are being restored. Exhibitions at the restored complex will showcase the everyday life of emperors and the public during the Southern Song Dynasty and will also feature excavated and collected porcelain, calligraphy and other works of art.

Xu Jijun, former director of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of History, said the authorities in Hangzhou have launched a comprehensive protection program for ruins from the Southern Song Dynasty. Deshou Palace is one of the most important sites in this program, along with the ruins of Lin'an City, the name by which Hangzhou was known during this dynasty.

"At that time, Kaifeng, capital of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and Lin'an, capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, were both world-leading international metropolises and fashion and lifestyle centers," he said.

"The residents' lifesty

les, including food, tea ceremonies, fashion, flower arrangements, sports activities, travel, games and toys, have all had a great influence on our lives today and also on the world."

Since the site was discovered in 1984, the four archaeological excavations conducted there by the Hangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in 2001, 2005-2006,2010 and 2017 have determined the area covered by Deshou Palace.

Following the initial excavations in 2001, a wealth of archaeological relics, including palace walls, access gates, large temple foundations, roads, pools, canals, a rockery and a drainage ditch, have been discovered.

The project will not only restore the palace and landscaped gardens, but will also highlight economic, technological and cultural achievements from that period.