SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- A stone tablet dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) has been found in a village in north China's Hebei Province, the local cultural protection authority said.

The tablet, dating back to the ruling period of Emperor Jiajing, has a history of 479 years. It was found in Houzhai village in Jianzhong township, Linxi County. It measures 200 cm in height, 71 cm in width, and is 22 cm thick.

The tablet has an inscription with 915 characters that describes a family surnamed Hou and their philanthropic deeds.

According to Zhang Xia, head of the cultural protection department of Linxi County, the discovery of the stone tablet provided materials to research into the history and social system of the Ming Dynasty.