Since 2020, the Keqiao District Bureau of Shaoxing Public Security Bureau has seized more than 8,000 ancient tomb bricks in accordance with the law in strengthening the law enforcement of cultural relics protection, and the case has now been closed. Although most of these ancient tomb bricks are ordinary cultural relics, they all have certain historical and cultural value, and are of great significance for the study of Shaoxing’s human history, customs and ancient arts and crafts.
At the beginning of this year, after learning the news, Shaoxing Museum took the initiative to contact the Keqiao District Bureau of Shaoxing Public Security Bureau, hoping that these ancient tomb tiles could be included in the museum. This proposal was recognized and supported by the Keqiao District Bureau of Shaoxing Public Security Bureau. In February, Shaoxing Museum promptly organized cultural researchers to clean up, count, sort and pack these ancient tomb bricks on site, and after more than a month, they have now been transported back to the museum. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the National Cultural Relics Protection Law, Shaoxing Museum went through the handover procedures with the Hutang Police Station of Keqiao District of Shaoxing Public Security Bureau.
Most of these ancient tomb bricks are in the era of the Two Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms Eastern Wu Period and the Two Jin Dynasties, and some are Tang and Song Dynasties, and the latest is the Ming Dynasty. Most of them have ornaments or ji nian inscriptions, among which the ji nian bricks involve Yuankang, Ganlu, Yongyuan, Yanxi, Jiahe, Chiwu, Xianning, Taikang, Yonghe, Xining and other year numbers; The pattern tiles include characters, green dragons, white tigers, deer, phoenix birds, double fishes, turtles, animal faces, gluttony, treasure patterns, etc.; There are also some bricks of official surname inscription customized by the tomb owner’s family. The shape of bricks is square, rectangular, narrow strip, knife-shaped, wedge-shaped, etc., unfortunately, a considerable part of the bricks have been cut and processed into inkstone blanks, losing their original appearance.
In addition to this batch of ancient tomb bricks handed over by the public security department, Shaoxing Museum also received 6700 ancient tomb bricks unearthed from the plot of Shaoxing Second Hospital (Rehabilitation Hospital). The entry of these two batches of ancient tomb bricks has greatly enriched the collection of ancient cultural relics of Shaoxing Museum. Next, Shaoxing Museum will systematically sort out and study these ancient tomb bricks, as well as rubbing, restoration, etc., and combine the existing collection of ancient bricks and Shaoxing folk collections, and hold the Shaoxing Ancient Brick Exhibition in July and August this year. Through the ancient bricks, let us feel the changes of various dynasties and listen to the stories of different periods.