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Mounds claim their rightful place in history
Updated: Jul 14, 2025
By Wang Kaihao and Wang Ru in Yinchuan
China Daily
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From Heishuicheng, people found Pearl in the Palm, a 12th-century bilingual glossary of the Chinese and Tangut languages, which has become the key for modern researchers decoding the writing system of Xixia. Scholars have recognized nearly 6,000 characters in Tangut scripts.
In its preface, Xixia scholar Gule Maocai particularly highlighted the importance of learning each other's languages for effective communication between Han people and other ethnic groups.
"The book serves as a good testimony to the frequent exchange and integration, which laid a foundation for Xixia's prosperity," Shi says. "Developing through mutual learning and communication, that is a good inspiration Xixia has left to us."
