SHIJIAZHUANG, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists found a stone tablet dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in a village in northern China's Hebei Province, the local cultural relics protection department said Thursday.

The tablet, which is believed to be made while Emperor Wanli was in power, has a history of 418 years.

The tablet, 310 cm in height, 88 cm in width and 23 cm thick, was found in Huaizhuang Village in Sansi township, Nanhe county. It was well preserved with a clear inscription on it.

The inscription has a total of 729 characters that described the social situation at that time and the process of building a temple.

The temple mentioned in the inscription was also built during Emperor Wanli's rule, but only a small part of the ancient temple has been preserved so far, said Lan Jianhui, a history expert in the city of Xingtai.

The tablet will provide valuable material for research on the religious traditions and on the changes of the administrative division in the region, according to Lan.