Gangshang Tower Tomb Site

Gangshang Tower Tomb Site

The Gangshang Tower Tomb Site is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

The Gangshang Tomb is located in Yingchengzi Town, Ganjingzi District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, and is an ancient tomb from the Spring and Autumn Period. In 1997, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Due to the relatively flat terrain of the Houmu area, the earthen mound where the Gangshang Tomb is situated is not difficult to find, and it is enclosed by a surrounding wall, making it easily identifiable. The Gangshang Tomb site is a clan communal burial ground characterized by bronze short swords. The site measures 28 meters from east to west and 20 meters from north to south. Burial objects found at the Gangshang Tomb include pottery, bronze ware, stone tools, and ornaments. Notably, stone molds for casting bronze axes, sword handles, chisels, and blister decorations were discovered, which exhibit strong local indigenous characteristics. These findings also indicate that the level of productivity and metallurgical craftsmanship during this period had improved compared to earlier times. The tomb dates back to the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period. The Gangshang Tomb site is an important cultural relic of the Bronze Age in the Dalian region and even Northeast Asia. Its unique practice of cremation burial, along with distinctive artifacts such as curved-blade bronze short swords, holds significant importance for studying the origins and lineage of stone heap tombs and bronze short swords in Northeast Asia. It provides valuable material for researching the burial system, customs, cultural traits, and chronological classification of bronze short sword tombs in eastern Liaoning. In 1997, it was announced as a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Protected area: within the surrounding wall and within 20 meters outside the outer base of the wall.

Construction control zone: a secondary construction control zone within 30 meters outside the protected area.

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Key Cultural Relic Protection Units of Liaoning Province

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units