Ruins of the Changbai Mountain Shrine

Ruins of the Changbai Mountain Shrine

The ruins of the Changbai Mountain Shrine are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of the Changbai Mountain Shrine built by the royal family of the Jin Dynasty. The excavation of this site marks the first discovery of a state-level mountain worship relic outside the Central Plains. It holds great value for exploring the development of ritual systems during the Jin Dynasty, studying the frontier strategies of the Jin regime, understanding the formation and development of China as a unified multi-ethnic nation, and also has a positive and far-reaching influence on enriching the profound historical and cultural heritage of Changbai Mountain.

Historical records indicate that Emperor Shizong of the Jin Dynasty enshrined Changbai Mountain as the “Prosperous and Sacred King Who Brings Prosperity” in the 12th year of the Dading era (1172), and constructed a shrine on the northern side of the mountain to house the deity. In the 4th year of the Mingchang era (1193) under Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin, it was further enshrined as the “Heaven-Opening Great Sage Emperor.” The southern extension of the architectural axis of the BaoMa City ruins aligns directly with the main peak of Changbai Mountain. The layout and scale of the architectural complex bear a striking resemblance to royal mountain shrines of the Song and Jin periods, such as the Zhongyue Shrine and Xiyue Shrine, and both its geographical location and size correspond with historical documentation.

The BaoMa City ruins represent a significant archaeological discovery of the Liao and Jin periods in recent years, marking a major breakthrough in borderland archaeology and the archaeology of northern ethnic groups. They provide valuable material for studying the material culture of the Song and Jin periods and the official-style architecture of the Jin Dynasty.

On October 7, 2019, it was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units