XINING, Sept. 15 -- China's National Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Monday that an engraved stone, discovered on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is the only known Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.) engraved stone still preserved at its original site and the one located at the highest altitude during the historic period.

The stone is situated on the northern shore of Gyaring Lake in Maduo County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, at an altitude of about 4,300 meters.

The finding holds significant historical, artistic and scientific value, according to the administration. Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty unified China for the first time.