Ruins of Huling City

Ruins of Huling City

The ruins of Huling City are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangsu Province.

The ruins of Huling City are located in Sanlimiao Village, Qianchengzi Village, and Longdong Village of Longgu Town, Pei County, as well as Chengzimiao Village of Zhanglou Town, Weishan County, Shandong Province.

Huling City was built during the Warring States period. In 286 BC, the State of Chu established Huling County. By the end of the Jiajing era in the Ming Dynasty, due to a breach in the Yellow River, the city sank underground. Since then, this ancient city has disappeared into the long river of history.

In 2003, the archaeological team of the Xuzhou Museum conducted excavations in the southeastern corner of the southern city as part of a water conservancy project. They discovered remnants of parts of the city wall and the foundation of a large elevated building, along with five late Western Han Dynasty tombs and more than ten Han Dynasty stone reliefs.

In 2013, through exploration, it was determined that Huling City consisted of two parts — a northern city and a southern city — separated by the ancient course of the Si River. The measured perimeter of the northern city’s walls was 3,345 meters, covering an area of approximately 730,000 square meters, while the southern city’s walls measured 4,140 meters in total perimeter, covering about 1.04 million square meters.

In 2016, relevant departments thoroughly demonstrated that Huling City had historically been a renowned cultural city, a military stronghold, and a major port on the Si River. Historical records and the place names of villages around the Huling City ruins contain rich historical and cultural information and stories. The excavation of the Huling City ruins holds significant historical, scientific, and artistic value.

In August 2017, the People's Government of Longgu Town applied to the People's Government of Pei County to designate the Huling City ruins as a county-level cultural heritage site.

On October 11, 2017, the People's Government of Pei County approved the Huling City ruins as a county-level cultural heritage site.

In early October 2017, the People's Government of Longgu Town applied to the Jiangsu Provincial Government to designate the Huling City ruins as a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

On March 20, 2019, the Jiangsu Provincial Government officially approved the Huling City ruins as a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

Longgu Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Pei County. Originally established in 1856 (the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign in the Qing Dynasty) as a settlement formed by militiamen from the old Longgu Market in Shandong who came to reclaim farmland. It became Longgu Township in 1957, was reorganized as a commune in 1958, restored as a township in 1983, and upgraded to a town in 1985. Located in the northwest of the county, it is 26 kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 66 square kilometers with a population of 69,000, it is traversed by the Xuzhou–Jining Highway. To the east lies the Dashuhe River, to the west the Yaolou River, and to the north the Zhaoyang Lake, all connected to the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal. The town administers Shaoma, Zhangwangzhuang, Nai Zhuang, Jiaolie Zhuang, Sanhejian, Xinjian, Guoyuan, Houwa, Taoyuan, Qiansanli, Qianchengzi... More detailed information about Longgu Town++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites