Site of Qianzhou City

Site of Qianzhou City

The Site of Qianzhou City is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The Site of Qianzhou City is located about 200 meters in front of the Beizhen Temple, southwest of Guangning Town, Beizhen City. It was first built in November of the fourth year of the Qianheng era (982) during the reign of Emperor Shengzong of the Liao Dynasty, to serve the Qianling Mausoleum of Emperor Jingzong of Liao, Yelü Xian. In 1983, it was designated as a county-level cultural relics protection unit.

The Qianzhou City site is rectangular in shape, constructed entirely of rammed earth. It stretches 1,100 meters from north to south and 625 meters from east to west, with a perimeter of 3,450 meters. Although the city walls have now collapsed, the raised earthen ridges are still clearly visible. In the northeastern part of the city, a section of the wall foundation remains, measuring 60 meters in length from east to west and standing 1.5 meters high. Investigations reveal that the base of the wall is 3.5 meters wide, with rammed layers 11 centimeters thick, indicating solid construction. The terrain within the city is flat, with a surface scattered with numerous grooved bricks, glazed tiles, and ceramic fragments, particularly abundant in the southern half. The cultural layer is about 1.5 meters thick. Two kiln sites were discovered approximately 200 meters northeast of the city. Near these kilns, there are piles of semi-finished architectural ornaments such as glazed tiles, tubular tiles, flat tiles, tile ends, water drips, and dragon roof ornaments. Additionally, artifacts such as large stone mortars, tri-colored pottery, and ancient copper coins have been unearthed at the site.

This site is generally well-preserved, with abundant above-ground and underground relics. It holds significant historical and archaeological value for the study and verification of the scope and location of the Xianling and Qianling mausoleums of the Liao Dynasty. It is a national key cultural relics protection unit.

Source: Beizhen City Tourism Development Committee