Ruins of the Ancient Xiapi City

Ruins of the Ancient Xiapi City

The ruins of the ancient Xiapi City are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ruins of the ancient Xiapi City are located in Gupi Town, Suining County, Jiangsu Province. Historically, Gupi was known as "Ancient Xiapi." Situated at the confluence of the Yi River and the Si River, Xiapi was once a strategic military location.

The State of Xiapi dates back to the Shang Dynasty as a feudal state; during the Warring States period, the fief of Zou Ji—the author of the famous classical essay "Zou Ji’s Admonitions to the King of Qi"—was Xiapi; in the early Han Dynasty, Han Xin, one of the earliest non-royal kings to be enfeoffed, was made the King of Chu with his capital also in Xiapi; Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han, Liu Zhuang, established the Xiapi Kingdom and enfeoffed his son as the King of Xiapi. During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Lü Bu vied for power here. Lü Bu was executed by hanging on Cao Cao’s orders in Xiapi, and Guan Yu surrendered to Cao Cao in this very place. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong refined elixirs here, and Liu Yu, the founding emperor of the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, served as the Prefect of Pizhou here, rising to prominence... Throughout history, Xiapi witnessed the power struggles of the Chu-Han Contention, the confrontations of the Three Kingdoms, and the battles between the Song and Jin dynasties, boasting a profound historical and cultural heritage. For a long time, however, people could only catch glimpses of the ancient city of Xiapi through local chronicles or other written records.

Cultural Relics Protection

The ancient Xiapi City ruins are a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Suining County plans to protect the Xiapi ancient city ruins from the Ming and Qing periods by formulating a protection plan. To understand the protected area, current preservation status, and cultural significance of the ancient city, in 2014, the Nanjing Museum, in collaboration with the Suining County Museum, began extensive archaeological surveys and explorations.

In 2019, the ruins of the ancient Xiapi City were included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Gupi Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Suining County. It is one of the historic towns. Since the Xia Dynasty, it has served as the seat of government for the State of Pi, the State of Xiapi, the Xiapi Commandery, the Linhuai Commandery, the Xiapi Prefecture, the Xiapi County, and the Xiapi-Suixian County. Established as Gupi Town in 1948, it was restructured as Gupi Township in 1957, turned into a commune in 1958, reinstated as a township in 1983, and upgraded to a town in 1986. Located in the northern part of the county, it is 30 kilometers from the county seat and 18 kilometers from Xuzhou Guanyin Airport. Covering an area of 113 square kilometers, it has a population of 65,000. The Pisu Highway, Gupi-Zhang Highway, the abandoned Yellow River, Xu Hong River, and Minbian River run through the area, with navigable docks available. The town administers Gupi, Jiucheng, Jiuzhou, Xiapi, ... [More detailed information about Gupi Town]

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units