Tianmushan Site

Tianmushan Site

The Tianmushan Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tianmushan Site is located on Tianmu Road. The newly built Jiangyan Museum stands at the southeast corner of the site, combining the Tianmushan Site Museum and the Jiangyan Museum.

The Tianmushan Site is located in the northern part of Jiangyan urban area, south of the Xintongyang Canal and east of the Jiangzhen River. The terrain at the site is relatively high, surrounded by water on all sides, resembling a small island. According to the 1599 *Tiazhou Annals* (*Tai Zhou Zhi*) from the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era, the two wells at Tianmushan were shaped like a pair of eyes, hence the name. It is the ruin of an ancient city dating from the middle to late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period. It is the first Shang and Zhou Dynasty city site excavated in northern Jiangsu Province and the earliest city site discovered so far in the Jianghuai region. In 2000 and 2003, with approval from the National Cultural Heritage Administration, two archaeological excavations were carried out at the site, unearthing a number of pottery items and animal bone remains. The Jiangyan City government in Taizhou plans to construct the Tianmushan Site Museum to showcase cultural relics unearthed from Tianmushan, models of the Western Zhou city, and scenes of the daily life and production of its ancient inhabitants.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units