On December 4, a Qing Dynasty city defense iron cannon was unearthed on Xiguan Road in the old urban area of Gaozhou, a county-level city in Maoming, South China's Guangdong Province, which was historically part of the city's defense zone during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Experts, including Gaozhou Museum Director Chen Dongqing, preliminarily identified it based on inscriptions, its short barrel, and robust build.
Huang Chunrong, a Gaoliang culture scholar, suggested that the cannon may have been buried when Gaozhou's city walls were dismantled and moats filled to create parks between late 1937 and early 1938.
"I've worked at the museum for 30 years, and this discovery excites me," said Chen Dongqing. "It's the first iron cannon with clear 'identity markers' found in Gaozhou's urban area."
Scholars note that Gaozhou has long been a key military and transport hub in the Lingnan region. The cannon confirms its strategic role in the Qing Dynasty city defense system and offers valuable evidence for studying local military history.
Reporter & photo | Qiu Qian
Editor | Liu Lingzhi, James Campion, Shen He
