Shipenggou Stone Shelter

Shipenggou Stone Shelter

The Shipenggou Stone Shelter is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The Shipenggou Stone Shelter in Pulandian is located on the hillside of Shipenggou in Daijia Village, Jiantang Township, Anbo Town, Pulandian City. In 2003, it was designated as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People's Government of Liaoning Province, and on June 8, 2013, it was announced as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

A stone shelter is an ancient megalithic structure where three to four slab stones are fitted together and erected upright as side walls, with a large capstone laid on top. Stone shelters served as tombs, and their occupants were likely nobles or chieftains of various sizes within the slave-owning class or tribal clans.

Stone shelters are widely distributed and can be found in many regions around the world. In China, they are present in Jilin, Shandong, Hunan, Sichuan, and Liaoning provinces, with Liaoning having the highest concentration—particularly along the Liaodong Peninsula. Most stone shelters are situated on hilly plateaus shaped like mushrooms near rivers, with a few on flat land, but very rarely in high mountainous areas. Many sites with stone shelters also have nearby ruins.

The age of these stone shelters may date back as early as the late Neolithic period, but the vast majority belong to the Bronze Age, with some possibly extending to the Spring and Autumn period. The Shipenggou Stone Shelter and Xiaoguantun Stone Shelter introduced here both date to the Bronze Age, approximately 3,000 years ago.

Protected area: Within 20 meters outside the projection of the stone shelter’s capstone.

Construction control zone: A first-class control zone extends 50 meters beyond the protected area, and a second-class control zone extends 150 meters beyond the first-class zone.

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Liaoning Province

· Seventh Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level