Many ancient stone blocks carved into terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai were discovered

On the morning of April 3, talking to reporters, Mr. Ly Kim Khoa, Deputy Director of Yen Bai Provincial Museum, said that the unit has just coordinated with the Institute of Applied Research in Culture and Tourism to discover new locations with many Ancient stone blocks depicting terraced fields in Che Cu Nha commune, Mu Cang Chai district, dated around the 16th - 17th centuries.

The location of the ancient engraved stone blocks is at an altitude of about 1,000m above sea level, in Hang Chua Xay village, about 4km east of Che Cu Nha Commune People's Committee.

15 ancient stone blocks depicting terraced fields were recently found in Mu Cang Chai, dating from the 16th - 17th centuries.

The carved ancient stone blocks are located in two clusters, about 15m apart, with 15 blocks, running along the North - South direction, with volumes ranging from 0.5 to 4m3. The surface has a slightly convex surface and is engraved with concentric concave circles and diamonds.

The most common appearance is the "layered" terraced fields decorated around the edge and body of the stone blocks, creating a strange and unique "work" .

The stone blocks are carved with unique patterns.

Preliminary results show that the carved themes are quite meticulous and elaborate, softly curving along the convex and concave surfaces of the stone, shaped like terraced fields. This is the main topic on these stone blocks, similar to the stone blocks discovered in the villages of Hong Nhi Pa, Ta Ghenh, Hu Tru Linh in Lao Chai commune in 2015, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The difference is that in Hang Chua Xay village there are many ancient carved stone blocks, while in other places there are only very few. According to the Institute of Archeology, this is the location of 'Mu Cang Chai ancient stone carving center' with many stone blocks carved with unique and beautiful patterns.

According to Yen Bai province museum leaders, the unit is currently coordinating with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Yen Bai province to restore the custom of worshiping stone gods of the Mong people in Mu Cang Chai.

Mr. Ly Kim Khoa, Deputy Director of Yen Bai Provincial Museum, added that from comparative reality, the stone carvings are very similar to the terraced fields that the Mong people of Mu Cang Chai are cultivating and gradually opening. wide today.

According to Mr. Khoa, with these unique features, the unit is coordinating with the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to restore the custom of worshiping stone gods of the Mong people in Mu Cang Chai, to promote tourism associated with tradition of the Mong people here.