Xiangyang Xishan Site

Xiangyang Xishan Site

Xiangyang Xishan Site is a cultural relic protection unit of Jilin Province.

Xiangyang Xishan Site

Batches and announcement date: Sixth batch, May 31, 2007

Address: Xiangyang Town, Liuhe County

Era: Primitive period

Category: Ancient site

Managing unit: Liuhe County Cultural Relics Management Office

Open to public: No

The site is located on a hillside southwest of Xiangyang Town, 38 kilometers southwest of Liuhe County. Locals call this mountain Wangba Neck Mountain. Its geographical coordinates are 125°27′ east longitude and 42°02′ north latitude. The Wangba Neck site is one of the more typical ancient cultural sites in the Yitong River basin. More than 20 iron-rimmed bronze arrowheads were unearthed at once, all used for crossbows. Two of them bear inscriptions, believed to have been manufactured in the State of Zhao. The arrival of Zhao State weapons in the northeast was likely due to warfare and migration. This further confirms the historical fact of economic, cultural exchange, and ethnic integration between the northern regions and the Central Plains. The site is situated halfway up the mountain, with scattered pottery shards visible on the surface. At the mountaintop, there is a circular platform about 30 meters in circumference, where a small number of stone tools were found. The site stretches 100 meters from east to west and 30 meters from north to south. Artifacts and remains unearthed at the Wangba Neck site indicate that it was an ancient cultural site, with an economy primarily based on agriculture. The time frame of the primitive inhabitants’ habitation likely began in the late Neolithic Age or around the Shang–Zhou period, and may have extended to the late Warring States period or even the Qin–Han period. A number of well-crafted bronze arrowheads unearthed from the cliff face and hillside of the site, which are numerous and finely made, are also confirmed to be from the State of Zhao. These items likely arrived in the northeast during the late Warring States period or early Qin–Han era. Some speculate that this site might have been an ancient battlefield during the late Warring States period. It’s also possible that troops were stationed here to guard the route to Liaodong—though this remains uncertain. Regardless of the reason, such finely made, inscribed bronze arrowheads are rare finds in Liuhe and the entire Tonghua region. The discovery of Central Plains bronze weaponry is of great significance for studying the economic and cultural exchanges, military campaigns, and garrisoning issues between the Liuhe area and the Central Plains.

Xiangyang Town: Xiangyang Town is located on the southwestern edge of Liuhe County, at the junction of two provinces and four counties. It borders Xinbin County and Qingyuan County of Liaoning Province to the west and north respectively, and is bounded by Tonghua County to the south, giving it a very advantageous geographical position. The total area of the town is 314 square kilometers. It has 13 administrative villages and 31 natural hamlets, with 4,166 households and a total population of 16,226. Xiangyang Town is the source of the Yitong River, with main streams and tributaries extending over 80 kilometers within its territory. The terrain is mainly mountainous and hilly, with farming areas primarily distributed in the river valley plains among the hills, sloping from southwest to northeast. The total cultivated land area of the town is…   More detailed information about Xiangyang Town ++