The Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion

The Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion

The Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion is located within Tangyuan County, Heilongjiang Province. It is a Yuan Dynasty ancient city ruin, bordered by the Tangwang River to the east and situated about 3 kilometers southwest of Xianglan Town, Tangyuan County. It is also known as Shuanghe Ancient City.

The site is rectangular in shape, with a perimeter of 2,500 meters and an area of 375,000 square meters. Its walls were built using rammed earth and board-formed construction. The Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion was used continuously through five dynasties—the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing—providing important material for the study of the history and military-political establishment of the Heilongjiang region.

Excavations at the site have unearthed a Yuan Dynasty bronze steelyard weight inscribed with “Zhì Yuán Èr Nián” (Year Two of Zhiyuan) on the front and “Shù Liù” (Garrison Six) on the back, as well as copper coins inscribed with “Dà Yuán Tōng Bǎo” (Great Yuan Currency) in Phags-pa script. Other Yuan Dynasty relics include celadon bricks, grey fabric-patterned roof tiles, zoomorphic tile ends, wheel-thrown grey pottery fragments, porcelain shards, bronze mirrors, bronze pots, iron pots, axes, arrowheads, and various copper coins.

Research Value

Having been used through the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion provides important physical evidence for studying the development history of the Heilongjiang region and the military-political establishments of successive dynasties. It also holds significant archaeological value for the study of Jurchen culture during the Liao, Jin, and Yuan periods, as well as high potential for tourism development.

On May 24, 1980, the Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion was designated as a County-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People’s Government of Tangyuan County.

On January 17, 1981, the Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion was designated as a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People’s Government of Heilongjiang Province.

On May 25, 2006, the Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion was designated as part of the Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

On May 25, 2006, the Former Site of Tao Wen Wanhu Mansion was designated as part of the Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units