Gucheng Site

Gucheng Site

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

Era: Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn Period

The Gucheng (Wu Culture) site in Danyang, Jiangsu, has been confirmed through exploration and trial excavations to be an ancient city of the Wu Kingdom. The site contains storage pits, house foundations, wells, and ditches within the city walls, and earthen mound tombs outside. A rich collection of Wu cultural relics such as pottery, stone tools, and bronze ware have been unearthed. Analysis of the excavated pottery allows the cultural remains to be divided into three phases: the early phase corresponds to the middle and late Western Zhou, the middle phase to the early Spring and Autumn Period, and the late phase to the late Spring and Autumn Period, with continuous development and no gaps between them. Compared with similar Wu cultural remains in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, it is inferred that the ancient city of Gucheng in Danyang is currently the earliest discovered Wu city site, with the longest period of continuous use and relatively well-preserved conditions. In May 2013, it was designated and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units