Li Qingrong, director of the Badong Museum, tells another tale. Kou Zhun's mother loved him very much and he was also very fond of her. She always pushed him to study hard to gain more knowledge for a brighter future. But Kou was naughty as a little boy, and his mother always punished him. Once, when she wanted to punish him, Kou ran away. Unable to catch her son, she threw a little sliding weight at him. Kou remembered his mother's teachings and worked hard. When he became a county official, Kou cast the huge sliding weight as a reminder of his mother's teachings.

The Kougong Temple was built and rebuilt several times during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (960-1911), and was finally destroyed in the Qing Dynasty . When the Kougong Temple existed sacrificial ceremonies there were particularly grand -- especially July 14, Kou Zhun's birthday.

 Ever Prosperous and Busy

Many daily utensils have been unearthed at the site, like bowls, dishes, pots, flagons, earthenware, lights and basins. These relics include pottery and porcelain, from both the north and south, with folk or formal "official" finishes. Some of the most interesting unearthed items are two flagons -- the larger 20cm high and capable of holding 1 jin (0.5kg) of wine; the smaller vessel is 6.2cm high and can barely hold 2 liang (0.1kg) of wine. Both are delicate and reveal the different temperaments and tastes of wine drinking of the time.

Many cultural and entertainment artifacts were also excavated. Ink stones, for example, were produced in the area and come in all kinds of varieties. Entertainment artifacts include a Chinese chessboard with round chess pieces and dice.

Perhaps some of the most surprising objects discovered were little pots, varying in size from 4-8 cm, used for raising birds. Such artifacts added life to civilian society in the Northern Song Dynasty.

The architectural materials are all multiform, with ridges decorated with huge sparrow hawk beaks and backs of beasts; even the tiles were decorated with flowers and bestial and human faces.

Page:

1

2

3

4

5