Yuecheng Ruins

Yuecheng Ruins

The Yuecheng Ruins are designated as a cultural heritage protection site of Jiangsu Province.

The Yuecheng Ruins are located east of Yuelai Creek at the northern mouth of Shihu Lake in the southwestern suburbs of Suzhou. The site spans approximately 450 meters from north to south and 400 meters from east to west, covering an area of nearly 180,000 square meters, and currently stands about 1.5 meters above the ground.

Discovered during a survey in 1936, the site was excavated in 1960 by the Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Team, which uncovered an area of 98 square meters. The cultural deposits reach a maximum thickness of 8.21 meters, and artifacts from the Majiabang, Liangzhu, and Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn periods were found.

Within the Majiabang cultural layer, one ash pit and three tombs were discovered. The unearthed pottery mainly consists of sand-tempered red pottery and clay red pottery, including wide-rimmed cauldrons, ox-nose handled jars, flat-bottomed vessels, handled pot-shaped vessels, and dou (bean-shaped vessels), along with jade rings and jade huang (arc-shaped pendants).

In the Liangzhu cultural layer, evidence of living quarters such as red-burnt earth surfaces and stone pile-ups, as well as seven tombs, were found. The production tools unearthed include finely polished shouldered perforated stone axes, stepped stone adzes, “field-cultivating implements,” and stone sickles. The pottery is primarily made of clay gray-bodied black-coated ware and clay gray ware, with cooking vessels made of sand-tempered red pottery. Main vessel forms include fish-fin shaped leg jar-shaped ding (tripod cauldrons), vessels with ??F, wide-spouted broad-handled cups, pots, pierced-ear pots, bamboo-joint handled dou, bowl-shaped dou, folded-belly jars, and basins. These artifacts exhibit characteristics transitional between the Songze and typical Liangzhu cultures.

The Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn cultural layer yielded relatively few artifacts. The pottery is characterized by geometric impressed stoneware, with vessel forms such as ?, bu, and trays, featuring impressed patterns including meander, mat, ladder-grid, scroll, thundercloud, and grid designs.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batches of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units