SHIJIAZHUANG, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A stone elephant statue dating back to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was recently discovered in north China's Hebei Province, local authorities said.

The statue, about 55 centimeters tall and 150 kg in weight, was found by villagers building a house in Cixian County.

The head of the statue was damaged but the body, which features exquisite sculpting techniques, is well-preserved.

"Elephant" is pronounced similarly to "auspicious" in Chinese, and images are often seen in palaces, temples, gardens and cemetries.