A photo taken on February 12, 2024 shows visitors appreciating a stone coffer depicting “Ne Zha Conquers the Sea” myth on display at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in northeast China’s Shenyang. /IC

A photo taken on February 12, 2024 shows visitors appreciating a stone coffer depicting “Ne Zha Conquers the Sea” myth on display at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in northeast China’s Shenyang. /IC

A photo taken on February 12, 2024 shows visitors appreciating a stone coffer depicting “Ne Zha Conquers the Sea” myth on display at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in northeast China’s Shenyang. /IC

A photo taken on February 12, 2024 shows visitors appreciating a stone coffer depicting “Ne Zha Conquers the Sea” myth on display at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in northeast China’s Shenyang. /IC

A photo taken on February 12, 2024 shows a stone coffer depicting “Ne Zha Conquers the Sea” myth on display at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in northeast China’s Shenyang. /IC

A photo taken on February 12, 2024 shows a stone coffer depicting “Ne Zha Conquers the Sea” myth on display at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in northeast China’s Shenyang. /IC

As the movie "Ne Zha 2" continues to sweep across the globe breaking various box-office records, the reportedly earliest known visual depiction of the “Ne Zha Conquers the Sea” myth, a Liao Dynasty (907-1125) stone coffer, has gone on display at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang, attracting many visitors.

Unearthed from the Beita Tomb in Chaoyang, Liaoning, this artifact offers a rare glimpse into the legendary story of Ne Zha. A protective deity in Chinese folklore, Ne Zha has become a symbol of strength and resilience in Chinese culture. 

According to expert analysis, the stone coffer is a relic from the late Liao Dynasty that was placed in a pagoda in Chaoyang, Liaoning Province, nearly a thousand years ago.