Cultural relics in China's museum Photo: VCG

Archaeologists theorize that a brick building that was recently discovered in the center of the city of Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, is likely to have been a bathroom dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), in particular, the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). 

What appeared to be relevant to archaeologists was that one of the discovered bricks sports five Chinese characters "tang bai wu zhuan" among which tang means "bath." 

Additionally, based on the design of the building, experts speculate it was once a bathroom. The building is divided into the east and west sections. The east side, a main section about 6 meters long, is theorized to have been steps, whereas the west side is surrounded by four long brick walls that give the space a square shape. 

"Even though I think experts need more research to see whether or not they have speculated correctly, but the discovery of the bricks do emphasize the fact that the city of Yangzhou does have a long "bath culture," Zhang Xin, an Chinese folk culture researcher, told the Global Times on Wednesday.  

The newly discovered brick building is located at the site of the Ruins of Yangzhou City. Once a parking lot covered by a thick layer of modern construction waste, archaeological remains from dynasties such as the Tang (618-907) and Song were discovered underground. 

"The site is valuable for the study of ancient Chinese city planning and cultural exchanges because Yangzhou was an important city and was also a port of business and cultural exchanges dating back to the Sui Dynasty (581-618) to the Song Dynasty," Xu, an cultural expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.