Gaotai Mountain Site

Gaotai Mountain Site

The Gaotai Mountain Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Gaotai Mountain Site is located in Gaotai Village, Gaotai Township, Xinmin City, Shenyang, Liaoning Province. The site lies on the west bank of the Liao River and 4 kilometers south of the Nanyi River, comprising three hills: West Gaotai, Middle Gaotai, and East Gaotai. Among them, West Gaotai is the highest, with an elevation of 106.3 meters, while Middle Gaotai and East Gaotai are intermittently connected.

The burial complex is distributed on the southern slope of Middle Gaotai, while the main site remains are concentrated on the southern side of East Gaotai.

The Middle Gaotai burial area stretches 200 meters from east to west and 230 meters from north to south, covering a total area of approximately 46,000 square meters. A total of 115 ancient tombs have been discovered here, with most tomb spacings ranging between 1 to 2 meters. All burials are single inhumations in earthen pits, and most tombs contain a small number of grave goods, primarily including sandy red pottery pots and high-footed bowls, as well as occasional stone axes, stone club heads, and pottery spinning wheels.

The East Gaotai site measures 380 meters from east to west and 150 meters from north to south, covering a total area of about 57,000 square meters. Excavations have revealed that the cultural layer at the East Gaotai site is approximately 1 to 2 meters thick, with four distinct historical strata overlapping each other. Among these, the third layer contains the richest and most representative artifacts, along with exposed remains such as ash pits and kilns. The ash pits are mostly circular, with the largest having a diameter of 3 meters and a depth of 0.5 meters. The kiln remains are roughly square in plan, with the southern wall damaged and only 0.4 meters of red-fired inner wall remaining. The kiln bottom slopes from south to north and features three flues. A large number of artifacts have been found in the ash pits and kiln remains, including pottery and stone tools. The pottery was all handmade, predominantly sandy red pottery and reddish-brown pottery, with characteristics consistent with those found in the Middle Gaotai burial site. Artifact types include tripods, cauldrons, jars, urns, pots, bean-shaped vessels, jars, bowls, spinning wheels, and more. The stone tools are all polished, including stone knives, chisels, arrowheads, and rings.

The Gaotai Mountain Site covers a large area, has thick accumulations, and rich cultural content, preserving relics from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age. It provides reliable historical evidence for studying early human activities in the Shenyang region. In May 2006, the Gaotai Mountain Site was designated as part of the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Protected Area: Centered on the highest point of East Mountain within the site, extending 500 meters south and west, reaching the highest point of Ciyu Mountain to the east, and bounded by Shenhuan Highway to the north.

Construction Control Zone: A secondary construction control zone extends 100 meters beyond the protected area.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Liaoning Province

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units