Mysterious stone houses found in Three Gorges Reservoir region  

重庆忠县境内现数十座神秘“古石屋”

An architectural complex of 48 ancient houses made of hollowed-out gigantic stones has been discovered in the Three Gorges Reservoir region. The picture shows the appearance of a stone house. (Photo source: xinhuanet.com)

(ECNS)-- An architectural complex of 48 ancient houses made of hollowed-out gigantic stones has been discovered in the Three Gorges Reservoir region, xinhuanet.com reported on Monday.

With the largest one covering an area of 30 square meters and the smallest, seven square meters, the mysterious stone buildings are in Zhongxian county of Chongqing. The questions of when they were built and for whom they were constructed are still a mystery, and no historical records concerning the structures have been found.

Each house was formed by hollowing the inside of a single piece of giant stone. Featuring uniform-sized stone beds, baths, and cooking benches, most of the houses have a single room.

Experts remain divided on the real function of the structures.

Huang Shaojian, a historian from Xiamen, Fujian province, said the building group was constructed as a military base by rebels against the rule of Li Yuan as the emperor Gaozu of Tang (566 AD– 635 AD).

Huang said he made the conclusion based on the rooms inside the stone structures, which seemed to be designed for sentry standing.

Lin Bizhong, a researcher at the municipal cultural heritage research institute in Chongqing, said the buildings are actually tombs built in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).

Words marked on the outside walls are clerical script from the Han dynasty, and carvings of mythical creatures found on inner walls of the structures indicate that the houses were built for funeral use, according to Lin.

Local officials said experts will be invited to verify the structures, and the building group will be preserved as a potential scenic spot.