Gaya River City Site

Gaya River City Site

The Gaya River City Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Gaya River City Site is located in Shulan City, Jilin City, Jilin Province, China. It is an ancient city site dating back to the Liao and Jin dynasties.

Discovered in the 1940s, the city wall was built from rammed earth, with each rammed layer being 9 to 12 centimeters thick. The eastern wall is 412 meters long, currently standing 2.7 meters high, the southern wall is 358 meters long, currently 3 meters high, the western wall is about 410 meters long, currently 4.3 meters high, and the northern wall is about 360 meters long, currently 3.7 meters high. Artifacts unearthed include iron swords, iron arrowheads, pottery shards, porcelain fragments, iron pots, and copper coins.

Since its discovery in the 1940s, the site underwent several surveys and documentation by the Jilin City survey team during the second national cultural relics census in the early 1980s, which roughly confirmed the site's origin as the Liao and Jin periods. In 2009, the third national cultural relics census involved a re-examination of the site.

The city site is roughly square-shaped, oriented 30 degrees northwest. Most of the city walls are well-preserved, though some parts are damaged or missing. The walls were constructed from rammed earth with layers 9–12 cm thick, and all four sides have battlements (mǎmiàn). The eastern wall is about 412 meters long, now serving as a rural road, currently 2.7 meters high, with three surviving battlements; the southern wall is about 358 meters long, currently 3 meters high, with two battlements; the western wall is about 410 meters long, currently 4.3 meters high, with three battlements; the northern wall is about 360 meters long, currently 3.7 meters high, with two battlements. Each battlement is approximately 5 meters long, about 3 meters wide at the top, protruding about 1 meter from the main wall, and stands 0.5–1 meter higher than the wall top. Corner towers are built at each of the four corners of the city wall, currently rising about 1.5 meters above the wall top. The center of the southern wall has a surviving gate structure, with the gateway currently about 13 meters wide. Outside the city walls on all sides, traces of a moat can be faintly seen in some areas of the current surface.

The interior of the city has been converted into paddy fields, and few surface remains or artifacts can be found today. In earlier years, weapons such as iron swords and arrowheads were unearthed within the city, along with pottery shards, porcelain fragments, iron pots, and copper coins. After the liberation, villagers from Gayahe Village once found a “Seal of the Zhongshu Menxia” (Imperial Secretariat and Chancellery) in the farmland near the site. The seal face is nearly square, measuring 7.5 cm in length, 7 cm in width, and 1.45 cm in thickness. It features nine-fold seal script in Chinese characters, cast in yellow copper and gilded, with a square, tablet-like knob. The top of the knob is inscribed with the character “上” (up) to indicate proper orientation, clearly indicating it was an official seal in use. According to the History of Song, the seals of the Northern Song emperors, princes, and the Zhongshu Menxia measured two cun and one fen (approx. 6.6–7 cm), were made of copper and gilded, commonly used nine-fold seal script with intricate folds, matching this seal exactly—it may have been cast during the Northern Song Dynasty. The discovery of this important official seal provides valuable physical evidence for studying the seal systems of the Song Dynasty’s Zhongshu and Menxia ministries, as well as the relationship between the Jin and Northern Song dynasties.

Significance of the Site

The Gaya River City Site serves as physical evidence for studying the architecture of cities during the Liao and Jin periods. It is also one example of the Jurchen muke (military settlement) villages of the Jin Dynasty. The “Seal of the Zhongshu Menxia” unearthed near the site holds significant reference value for verifying the city’s historical status during the Jin Dynasty.

In May 2013, it was designated and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Baiqi Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Shulan City.

Established as a district in 1949, became a township in 1956, transformed into Hongqi People’s Commune in 1958, reverted to a township in 1984, and became a town in the same year. Located in the western part of the city. It covers an area of 114 square kilometers with a population of 40,000. The Hei (Heihe) – Da (Dalian) Highway passes through, and the Shu (Lan) – Bai (Qi) Highway terminates here. It borders the Songhua River to the west, and the Shulan Irrigation Canal runs through the area. It administers Baiqi, Goubei, Xiaobaiqi, Gangzi, Xiaogu, Shentun, Songjiang, Sanjiazi, Bao’an, Xinfeng, Dongwei, Xiwei, Bakeshu, Yushu, Qianjiang, Senshu, Gayahe, Shaojia, Jingshan, Pantun, … Baiqi Town detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units