An imperial edict dating back 410 years was recently found at a farmer's home in Hebei province, reported the Yanzhao Metropolis Daily.

The silk edict, which was found in good condition, is more than 360 meters long and about 33 meters wide. There are more than 700 characters on the edict that praise an official named Sun Weicheng from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) for his hard work.

It also lists 13 official posts Sun held. Two seals of the royal family were stamped on the edict.

Sun Dengxuan, a descendant of the official, said his family kept several imperial edicts, but that most of them vanished during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).