Researchers were amazed by the remarkable find in the 1200-year-old tomb in China

Why would a humble Chinese noodle maker be buried in a tomb fit for an emperor?

And why would a Westerner – complete with blonde hair – be important enough to commemorate on his walls?

Archaeologists in northern China have discovered a small but highly decorated 1,200-year-old tomb on a mountain outside Taiyuan, the capital of northern China’s Shanxi province.

It dates from the Tang Dynasty of China (AD 618-907), a period that coincides with the end of the Dark Ages of Western Europe.

And it’s full of surprises.

The Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology first made the discovery during a road construction survey in 2018. But, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, they only recently published their findings.

A tombstone epitaph states that its owner died at home in the 24th year of Kaiyuan (AD 736) at the age of 63.

His wife, Guo, was buried there the same year.

Archaeologists found an exceptionally well-preserved, brightly colored single brick structure.

Red, yellow and orange cover its whitewashed walls and ceiling. And amidst all this stands a somber stone coffin bed, on which the couple is believed to have been laid.

But the stark and stark work of art caught the eye of researchers.

It does not tell the expected story of great battles or successful hunts.

Nor does it place its inhabitants among the grandeur and grandeur of the imperial court.

Instead, the murals show them hard at work under the watchful eye of magical beasts.

And trading with a westerner.

The noodle maker

A bold and sweeping botanical design marks the entrance. Three pairs of yellow-robed figures line the entrance and passage.

The pair at the door hold jade tablets, which Xinhua reports are “guardians”.

A pair inside the portico appears to be welcoming visitors.

And a pair just inside the tomb are guardians armed with swords.

Fantastic beasts (at least one of which is a dragon) weave between thick red banners, dividing the conical ceiling into four equal parts. And 12 regular-sized red-bordered panels sit below.

Many seem to point to the same ethnic Han man, based on the consistency of his appearance and clothing.

These may be different stages of the life and career of the unidentified tomb owner. But the Xinhua report says experts also speculate that the stylistic pictures may represent its special “virtues”.

One shows him holding a ritualistic jade plaque. Another shows him in front of a tomb. And another where he is facing a snake.

Others show him chopping wood, showing a tree while holding a cup, and a scene – without people – of a plant with dried flowers.

One panel, in particular, appears to show a man and woman engrossed in the process of making rice noodles.

They are seen doing everything from pouring water, threshing grain, using grindstones and millstones and forming balls of dough.

Chinese archaeologists say that the strong outlines, simple shading and efficient two-dimensional designs make the tomb artwork distinct from other works of the same era.

‘the west’

One of the bolder panels of the tomb shows a woman dressed in an ornate dress of many colors and holding a checkered box.

Behind her is a yellow-blond haired man with a whip leading three saddle horses and a two-humped camel.

Chinese archaeologists believe this indicates contact with distant lands via the Silk Road trade route, which had been in operation for nearly 800 years before the tomb was painted.

“Based on his facial features and clothing style, we can identify him as a ‘Westerner’, likely a Sogdian from Central Asia,” said Professor Victor Xiong. LiveScience.

The Sogdian people lived in an area now known as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, a central hub in the Silk Road network connecting Asia and Europe.

Xinhua says camels – although not native to China – were a relatively common feature of Tang Dynasty-era artwork to emphasize the importance of international trade.

Whoever made the noodles, they tasted delicious.

The South China Morning Post quotes the director of the Archaeological Institute of Jinyang Ancient City, Long Zhen, as saying that the unique artistic style was very similar to that found in the tomb of Prince Wang Shenzi (renamed Emperor Taizu of Min – the founder of Min . dynasty during the Ten Kingdoms period – after his death).

Prince Wang rose through the ranks of administrators to become military governor, chancellor and eventually anointed prince.

Legend has it that Wang was a thrifty man and a just judge, leading his lands to an era of prosperity.

“Dr Long hypothesized that the same artist may have painted Wang’s tomb and the newly discovered mural,” the SCMP says.

But Prince Wang died on December 31, 925 AD.

That’s 189 years after the noodle maker’s grave was sealed.