Ruins of Liangmatai in Rongcheng

Ruins of Liangmatai in Rongcheng

The Ruins of Liangmatai in Rongcheng are a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

The Liangmatai ruins are a Shang and Zhou dynasty archaeological site, located in Liangmatai Village, Liangmatai Township, 17 kilometers east of Rongcheng County. The site is a rectangular elevated platform, measuring 150 meters from east to west and 100 meters from north to south, covering an area of 15,000 square meters. It stands 2 to 4 meters above the surrounding ground level. Originally, there were township government buildings and school structures on the site, which have now been replaced by the Mingyue Chan Temple. The southern, northern, and western sides of the site are farmland, and the overall preservation condition of the ruins is relatively good.

In 1977, the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and the Rongcheng County Cultural Bureau jointly conducted an archaeological survey of pottery unearthed at the Liangmatai ruins in Liangmatai Village, during which this site was discovered. The exposed cultural layer of the site is between 2 to 3 meters thick. The survey uncovered gray pottery items such as tripod cauldrons with coarse rope patterns and pottery dou (food vessels), as well as cultural artifacts including deer antlers, shell knives, pottery jars, and fish spears made from deer antlers. Analysis identified artifacts from the Shang dynasty such as coarse rope-patterned pottery cauldrons, deer antler-made fish spears, and double-holed shell knives; those from the Zhou dynasty include cylindrical pottery cauldrons and spherical-lidded dou. Since the site has not yet undergone formal archaeological excavation, the detailed stratigraphy remains unclear. The Liangmatai ruins were designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province in 1982.

Transportation Guide

Location: Liangmatai Village, Liangmatai Township, Rongcheng County, Baoding City, Hebei Province

Getting There: Take a bus from Rongcheng County headed for Liangmatai, and walk south from Liangmatai Bus Station to reach the site.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province