Xinjiang's sands reveal fascinating finds

Nestorian monastery ruins at the Xipang site in Turpan, Xinjiang, are evidence of cultural exchanges on the ancient Silk Road. CHINA DAILY In 2024, archaeologists cleared the remains of nine houses in its southern area and unearthed fragments of Buddhist statues and painted murals, as well as carved wooden Buddha hands, suggesting the site's possible, early association with Buddhism, says Niu Jianzhe, associate research librarian at the National Museum of China, which excavated the site with the Xinjiang institute. Cui Jiabao, assistant researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, CASS, says she believes the large government office building that she and colleagues excavated in the northeast of the outer ring last year will advance studies into the ancient city's evolution. Guo Wu, a researcher at the CASS institute who is leading the excavations of Beiting ruins, said during an academic seminar on China's frontier archaeology in late December that besides its primary military and political functions, Beiting also served significant religious and cultural roles. Archaeological efforts since 2019 have revealed the Buddhist temple's layout and development over a period of 700 years, providing a typical case of the early adaptation of Buddhism in China, and the influence of the Central Plains architectural style, according to Xiao Xiaoyong, archaeology professor at the Minzu University of China.