CHINA has identified a 2,200-year-old engraved stone on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as the highest-altitude and only known Qin Dynasty inscription preserved at its original site. The significant discovery was officially confirmed by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Located on the northern shore of Gyaring Lake in Maduo County, Qinghai Province, at an altitude of approximately 4,300 meters, the stone bears a 37-character inscription in seal script, characteristic of the Qin Dynasty (221–207 B.C.). The text records that Emperor Qinshihuang, the first emperor of a unified China, dispatched a high official named Lyu Yi to lead alchemists in gathering medicinal herbs on the legendary Kunlun Mountain.

The inscription, though briefly debated among scholars, has undergone rigorous multi-disciplinary analysis. Experts concluded that the mineral composition and weathering patterns inside and outside the carved grooves are consistent, ruling out modern fabrication. Tool marks also match the blunt engraving instruments of the period.

Additionally, the character style — including a unique form of the character “lun” (崙) found only in Qin-era bamboo slips — further supports its authenticity. The dating was refined to the 37th year of Qinshihuang’s reign (210 B.C.), the year of his death.

This finding not only provides invaluable historical, artistic, and scientific insight but also offers crucial clues to the geographical identity of the mythical Kunlun Mountain — often regarded in ancient texts as the “ancestor of all mountains.”

The site is now under protection, and efforts are underway to include it on the national list of key cultural heritage sites.

The National Cultural Heritage Administration has pledged continued study and nominated the site for inclusion on China’s list of nationally protected cultural heritage sites. Researchers say the carving may offer a rare, tangible clue to the ancient concept and geography of Kunlun and to imperial expeditions on the high plateau.(Li Jing)