SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A stone tablet dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) has been found underneath a farmer's house in north China's Hebei Province, the local cultural protection authority announced on Thursday.

The tablet, dating back to the ruling period of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820), was discovered in Qiaoxi village in Nanhe County. It measures 188 cm in height, 64 cm in width, and is 20 cm thick.

An inscription on the tablet has 570 characters. It says the village was an important traffic hub dating back to the Qing Dynasty. The big traffic flow caused a burden for local villagers and the head of the village tried to ease their burdens.

The tablet was found when a villager surnamed Xie renovated his house.

According to Lan Jianhui, a history expert from the city of Xingtai, the discovery of the stone tablet could shed light on research into the history of society and the transportation of the Qing Dynasty.