Qianjin Ancient City Site

Qianjin Ancient City Site

Qianjin Ancient City Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Qianjin Ancient City Site is located in Jiaohe City, Jilin City, Jilin Province. Built between 948 and 1031 AD, it is a relic from the Jin Dynasty and holds significant value for studying the political, military, economic, ethnic, and socio-historical development of the Liao and Jin periods.

The city has a circumference of 600 meters, with wall foundations 10 to 12 meters wide and remaining walls 2 to 3 meters high. It features one barbican gate, two side gates, ten battlements, and three corner towers. Artifacts such as iron armor fragments and iron arrowheads have been unearthed here.

Qianjin Ancient City Site is situated between Forest Compartments 174 and 175 under the jurisdiction of the Jiaohe Forestry Experimental Bureau in Jilin Province. This city was a military fortress built during the reign of Emperor Shengzong of Liao (948–1031 AD), serving as a defensive stronghold constructed by the Khitan rulers to strengthen protection against attacks by the Jurchen people.

Cultural Relics Remains

The city has a circumference of 600 meters and a height of 8 meters, with foundations 1.5 meters thick. The lower layer of the wall is built with 0.4-meter granite blocks, while the upper layer consists of layered earth. The defensive wall runs north-south, measuring 1,189.2 meters in length and 11 meters in width, narrowing to 2 meters at the top. The wall foundations are 10–12 meters wide, with remaining walls 2–3 meters high. The structure includes one barbican gate, two side gates, ten battlements, and three corner towers. All battlements are built on the eastern side of the defensive wall, and an 8-meter-wide, 1.5-meter-deep moat surrounds the exterior. There are two corner towers at the northern end of the defensive wall, spaced 100 meters apart, and one at the southern end. Each corner tower measures 11.5 meters in length and 8.5 meters in width. Near the southern part of the defensive wall, several shelters can be found. Residential remains have also been discovered inside the city, along with unearthed military artifacts such as iron armor fragments and iron arrowheads.

Significance of the Site

Qianjin Ancient City holds significant value for studying the political, military, economic, ethnic, and socio-historical development of the Liao and Jin periods.

Site Preservation

Over the years, the Jiaohe Forestry Experimental Bureau in Jilin Province has placed great emphasis on forest ecological conservation, consistently implementing mountain closure and livestock grazing bans. As a result, the ancient city area has remained largely undisturbed by human activity or livestock, and the site’s architectural complex is generally well-preserved.

In 2013, the “Qianjin Ancient City Site” was included in the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units. This recognition affirms the effective forest ecological conservation efforts of the Jiaohe Forestry Experimental Bureau in Jilin Province and plays a significant role in elevating the bureau’s historical and cultural status as well as advancing in-depth preservation work of the ancient city.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units