The Lantou Wopu Site

The Lantou Wopu Site

The Lantou Wopu Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Lantou Wopu Site is located in Lantou Wopu Village, Danchengzi Village, Bianggan Township, Dehui City, Jilin Province. It is a site from the Jin Dynasty period, with the surface strewn with numerous fragments of ancient bricks, tiles, pottery, porcelain, and various architectural components.

The site was discovered in the early 1980s and covers an area of approximately 3.44 million square meters. Between 1998 and 1999, in conjunction with the construction of the Changyu (Changchun to Lalin River) Expressway, the Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Changchun Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute, and the Dehui Cultural Relics Management Office conducted two years of rescue archaeological excavations at the site. These efforts uncovered 12 house foundations and unearthed more than 700 artifacts made of pottery, porcelain, bone, iron, copper, stone, and glass. The site is large in scale, has thick cultural deposits, and is rich in remains. The vast array of artifacts provides a clear archaeological benchmark for identifying Jin Dynasty relics and holds significant importance for studying the politics, military, and social life of the time. Among the finds were a number of celadon-glazed porcelain pieces, which are of high academic value for the study of Jin Dynasty ceramics.

The Lantou Wopu Site is an important relic from the Jin Dynasty period, with the surface covered in numerous fragments of ancient bricks, tiles, pottery, porcelain, and various architectural components. The distribution area extends as far as 1.5 kilometers north to the base of the Shuangchengzi Ancient City, connects 2 kilometers south to the Danchengzi Ancient City, spans about 1 kilometer east to west, and features a cultural layer about 1.5 meters thick.

The site was discovered in the early 1980s and covers an area of approximately 3.44 million square meters. It stretches about 1.5 kilometers north to the base of the Shuangchengzi Ancient City, reaches 2 kilometers south to the Danchengzi Ancient City, spans around 1 kilometer east to west, and has a cultural layer about 1.5 meters thick. Both the second and third national cultural relics surveys investigated the site. In earlier years, a local brick factory excavated earth in the eastern part of the site, uncovering a wealth of relics and artifacts, including roof tiles, eaves tiles, pottery jars, pottery pots, soy-sauce glazed and yellow-white glazed ceramics, iron four-ring jars, iron stirrups, and iron knives. Soil-cutting strata also frequently revealed ash pits and house foundations. Based on artifacts collected from the surface, the site is dated to the Liao and Jin periods.

Between 1998 and 1999, in coordination with the construction of the Changyu (Changchun to Lalin River) Expressway, the Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Changchun Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute, and the Dehui Cultural Relics Management Office carried out two years of rescue archaeological excavations at the site. A total of 4,000 square meters were excavated, uncovering 12 house foundations and more than 700 artifacts made of pottery, porcelain, bone, iron, copper, stone, and glass. The sixth house foundation excavated during this dig was relatively well-preserved — a rectangular, ground-level structure equipped with heating facilities. At the mid-section of the western wall, a roughly 3-meter-long section of foundation wall was found, consisting of a brick-faced, post-supported earthen wall. A total of 15 foundation stones and 25 wooden posts were identified along the walls of the house. The floor of the house was relatively flat, slightly higher in the northern part, and included heated kang beds, stoves, and chimneys among its interior features. The excavation yielded a rich array of artifacts, predominantly pottery and porcelain, including a diverse range of ceramics and uniquely patterned roof tiles and eaves tiles — all rarely seen among Jin Dynasty relics. Among the discoveries were a Jin Dynasty bronze mirror and celadon-glazed porcelain, both outstanding examples of their kind.

The Lantou Wopu Site is one of the most representative settlement sites from the Jin Dynasty discovered so far in Northeast China. With its large scale, thick artifact layers, and abundant remains, the numerous relics unearthed provide a clear archaeological benchmark for identifying Jin Dynasty remains and are of great significance for studying the politics, military, and social life of the time. The site has also produced a collection of celadon-glazed porcelain, which is of high academic value for research on Jin Dynasty ceramics.

In May 2007, it was designated as a Jilin Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In May 2013, it was approved and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Bianggan Township: A major agricultural township located in the northern part of Dehui City, Bianggan Township enjoys the locational advantage of being a suburban area. The Dehui Highway runs north-south through the township, while Highway 07025 crosses east-west. The Yinma River and the Yitong River encircle the township, converging at its northern edge before flowing into the Songhua River, forming a unique small Yinyi Delta. The township covers a total area of 202.41 square kilometers, with 11,981 hectares of arable land and a population of 47,512, offering abundant labor resources. In recent years, under the correct leadership of the higher-level Party committees and governments, the Bianggan Township Party Committee and government have upheld the important thought of the 'Three Represents' and the spirit of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China... More details about Bianggan Township++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units