Newli Liao Dynasty Architectural Site

Newli Liao Dynasty Architectural Site

The Newli Liao Dynasty Architectural Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Liaoning Province.

The Newli Liao Dynasty Architectural Site is located on a loess terrace about 100 meters northwest of Cherry Valley Village, Xinli Village, Fuitun Subdistrict, Beizhen City, Liaoning Province, approximately 8 kilometers northwest of downtown Beizhen. Situated within the “Sandaogou” valley on the eastern foothills of the central section of the Yiwulü Mountain Range, the loess terrace where the site lies backs onto Camel Mountain, with a seasonal stream on each of its eastern and western sides. Surrounded by mountains, the area boasts extraordinarily beautiful scenery. Comprehensive archaeological surveys of the entire terrace have been conducted. The northern part contains a large complex of architectural ruins, while the southern part consists of smaller auxiliary structures. Near the southwest corner of the northern architectural ruins, a massive tomb (designated Xinli M1) was discovered, measuring 84 meters in total length. To the north of the architectural ruins, another large tomb (designated Xinli M2) was found, approximately 44 meters long. Both tombs are situated extremely close to the northern architectural site, with the nearest distance being less than 10 meters.

A large tomb (Xinli M2) has been newly discovered in the northern part of the Newli Liao Dynasty courtyard-style architectural complex. Through exploratory trench excavation, it was revealed that the entrance of the tomb passage of M2 is about 6 meters wide, oriented at 172 degrees. The walls of the passage were constructed with adobe bricks and blue bricks, surfaced with yellow clay, and the bottom consists of neatly arranged steps built from double layers of square bricks. These construction techniques are rare among excavated Liao tombs to date, indicating a very high status. More importantly, Xinli M2 is located to the north of the courtyard building, and the positional relationship between them is essentially the same as that between the imperial tombs and the front halls of the Eastern, Central, and Western Tombs of the Liao Q ingling. Based on these reasons, it is inferred that Xinli M2 is the imperial mausoleum (Xuan Gong) of the Liao Dynasty’s Qianling. The identification of the front hall site and the imperial mausoleum of Qianling marks a significant breakthrough and major achievement in the archaeological research of the Liao imperial tombs in the Yiwulü Mountain Range. It represents the most crucial step toward fully understanding the locations, extents, and layouts of the two imperial mausoleums in the region.

Protected Area: Within 160 meters east, 200 meters south, 70 meters west, and 200 meters north of the protection marker stele.

Construction Control Zone: An area within 100 meters outside the protected area is designated as a construction control zone.

Xinli Village: Xinli Village…… More detailed information about Xinli Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Liaoning Province