An Urumqi man wants to translate the words on an ancestral tapestry. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Man seeks global expertise on mystery tapestry text

To comply with his father's last wishes, a man from Urumqi, Xinjiang autonomous region, is seeking global experts to help crack the mysterious words on an ancestral tapestry, reported ecns.cn on Thursday.

Wang Mai said he inherited the tapestry in April with other heirlooms, including two Arabic manuscripts with covers made of rice husks and cotton paper pages.There also are a string of agate stone beads and a copper bowl used for religious purposes.

Curious about the mysterious words since childhood, he has consulted well-known university professors, linguisticians, experts, scholars, and businessmen from Xinjiang, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, and Nanjing, but to no avail.

Wang also claims that the tapestry carries at least 300 years of history, and that it has an everlasting bond with an imperial concubine from the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796).

A man is seeking help in translating the words embroidered on this tapestry. [Photo/chinanews.com]